A Beautiful Lie
by I Caught Myself
Summary: "It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in." Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**_**"It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in."**_** Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 1**

"I don't want to make a life in Ba Sing Se. We don't fit in here – we look nothing like any of these peasants. Someone is going to realise we're in disguise." Zuko hissed at his uncle, laying back on the mat he had been sitting on. "This is stupid."

"I thought you were making friends." Iroh said. "You said that you would help those other kids 'liberate' some food for the rest of the passengers."

"They're not my friends!" Zuko snapped.

"Whether you like it or not, nephew, we are going to have to live in Ba Sing Se whilst the war plays itself out. There is no place safer for us to go." Iroh said sternly. "You should make all of the friends you can. You never know when you might need one."

"I don't need friends!" Zuko scowled.

"That's a shame." A voice said, and Zuko looked up to see Jet standing over him.

"What do you want?" Zuko demanded.

"I just wanted to talk to your for a sec, before our... _mission_... later." Jet shrugged, looking to Iroh. "Mind if I borrow Li for a while?"

"No, not at all." Iroh smiled. "Please, a nice walk may settle his temper."

"Come on, Li." Jet said, and held out a hand to the other boy.

"Fine." Zuko scowled up at the other boy and got to his feet himself, ignoring the hand that Jet had offered him. "This had better be important."

"It is." Jet smirked, leading Zuko away from where the rest of the passengers were sleeping.

"Stay out of trouble!" Iroh called after them, and Zuko gave him a small wave as he followed Jet across the deck.

The Freedom Fighter jumped over a barrier, which was blocking off part of the ship to unauthorised personnel, and beckoned for Zuko to do the same.

"That's a restricted area. We can't go there."

"Come on, Li. Don't be such a pussy." Jet rolled his eyes and grinned. "No-one's going to find us, and it's not like we're not going to be breaking into restricted areas to steal food soon anyway."

Zuko hesitated and vaulted over the barrier.

"Now that was cool."

"Thanks."

"I'm impressed."

"I'm not trying to impress you." Zuko scowled, though he did feel a sense of pride after Jet's compliment – it was a long time since _anyone_ had been impressed by him. He was always second to his psychopathic sister.

"Well, I'm not easily impressed." Jet shrugged. "Come on, let's find somewhere a little more private. That way it's less likely that any of the guards will find us."

Zuko followed Jet through the ship, sneaking past a group of guards who were talking loudly and playing some sort of card game. He was startled when Jet grabbed him and pulled him into a tiny cupboard, which was stacked full of guard uniforms and other equipment.

"Why the hell are we in here?" Zuko hissed. "I can't even see anything!"

"That's the point, Li." Jet said, and Zuko could hear the smirk in his voice. "You're not meant to see anything."

"Why not?" Zuko asked. Yes, he was scared of what the other boy was going to do to him. He was scared because he didn't know _why_ Jet had dragged him into the cupboard, and he had only just realised how _close_ they were standing.

"Because it's better this way?" Jet whispered breathlessly, and Zuko felt one of Jet's hands brush against his unscarred cheek.

"What...?"

"Come on, Li." Jet whispered, his breath warm against Zuko's lips. "I've seen the way you look at me... surely you've noticed the way I look at you, like when we first met a little while ago... I couldn't take my eyes off of you."

"What the hell?" Zuko's unburned eye widened as he felt Jet's lips brush against his. He placed his hands flat on Jet's chest and pushed him away. Well, as far away as he could push Jet in the enclosed space. "Get the fuck off me!"

"Sh... just shush... this isn't going to take long, and I know you're going to enjoy it..." Jet murmured, grabbing one of Zuko's hands and sliding it down his chest.

"What the –?" Zuko was startled when his hand was pressed against Jet's groin, and he found that the other boy was already partly aroused. "Jet, what the hell is wrong with you? Let me out of here now!"

"Is that really want you want, Li?" Jet breathed and pressed his lips to Zuko's – on his second attempt, anyway. His first attempt had landed his lips on Zuko's chin.

Zuko's eyes widened when he felt Jet's tongue probing into his mouth, sliding past his parted lips. His breathing hitched as Jet slipped a thigh between his legs and put pressure on his arou – AROUSAL?

Zuko released that he was hard against Jet's thigh, and began to panic – why was this happening? He liked girls, didn't he? He liked girls... yes... girls... like... like Mai! His sister's friend – the gloomy one who sighed a lot. Yeah. Mai. She was okay.

But Jet was _better_ than just _okay_.

He was here right _now_, and he was _kissing _him and...

_He's a guy!_ Zuko's mind screamed at him. _This is wrong!_ He snatched his hand away from Jet's groin – he had no idea why it was still there – and punched the other boy in the face – well, what he hoped was the other boy's face. There was no way to tell in the darkened closet. "GET THE FUCK OFF ME!"

"And things were going oh-so-well." Jet said with a sigh, and Zuko guessed that he was rolling his eyes. "Come on, Li. Why did you stop?" He lowered his lips to Zuko's ear. "We were having _so much_ fun."

"This is wrong." Zuko declared and pushed the cupboard door open, storming out. "I'll see you in an hour."

"Well actually, we were going to steal the food now – Smellerbee and Longshot are already waiting for us." Jet shrugged, stepping out of the cupboard after him. "Are you up for it?"

"I said I would help." Zuko scowled.

"Yes, you did." Jet smiled. "I just wondered if you were going to back out after just now in the cupboard..."

"I'm not a quitter."

"Good." Jet's smile changed to a smirk. "Neither am I."

* * *

Zuko had watched as Jet handed out food to the people on the ferry.

He was surprised by the Freedom Fighter – when they first met Zuko had been expecting him to be like the bandits in bedtime stories, the ones who would rape, pillage and plunder (well, Jet was borderline a bedtime story bandit). He hadn't been expecting the other boy to care so much about... well... the other peasants on the ferry.

He wondered where Jet was now. He hadn't seen the other boy since they had eaten dinner, and Jet had spoken about his hopes for what Ba Sing Se would be like. His mind kept wandering back to when Jet had dragged him into the cupboard, and how it had felt with Jet's warm, moist lips against his, his hand pressed against Jet's obvious arousal and Jet's thigh between his legs, applying just right amount of pressure on his –

"You seem to get along well with the others, nephew." Iroh said, disturbing Zuko from his thoughts. Thoughts that he shouldn't be having.

"Oh yeah, they're okay." Zuko shrugged, laying his blanket out on the deck.

"It's nice for you to have some friends my own age."

"What makes you think they're my friends?"

"I'm just saying." Iroh shrugged. "It's been so long since you've been around people your own age, nephew. You've always been around older men since you were thirteen."

"Can we drop this?" Zuko scowled, laying down on his blanket.

"Very well." Iroh sighed. "We will be arriving at the city tomorrow morning. Make sure you get plenty of sleep before then. We will have a busy day ahead of us."

"Goodnight, uncle."

"Goodnight."

Zuko heard the sounds of his uncle's breathing as the old man fell asleep quickly.

Sleep never came easy for him anymore. It hadn't come easy for him ever since his father had banished him – he had too much to be scared about, too much drive to find the Avatar to be able to sleep.

When he did sleep, he usually woke up screaming.

* * *

_Tanned skin contrasted against his, warm lips nuzzling his neck, teeth occasionally scraping the sensitive skin near his collarbone as he gasped and pushed his hips up against the body above him, hearing Jet make a small moaning sound._

_There were hands either side of his head as Jet supported himself above him, his lips brushing against the edge of Zuko's scar._

_"Li..." Jet's voice was husky with arousal. "Come on, Li..."_

_"I..."_

_"Come on, I know you want this."_

_"I... I'm not really sure." Zuko's cheeks flushed as Jet slid a hand between their bodies and cupped his arousal. "This... this just seems... wrong."_

_"What's so wrong about this, Li?" Jet stroked his arousal._

_"Everything..." Zuko whimpered._

_"But it feels so right too, doesn't it?" Jet smirked, nipping Zuko's ear lobe. "I bet this is what you need, isn't it, Li? You need a good fucking, don't you?"_

_

* * *

_

And then he was laying on his front, awake on the deck of the ferry wrapped in blankets, the cold air drying the sweat on the exposed skin of his face. He was aware of his uncle standing up next to him, looking up at the night sky as though he had just seen something... something that had concerned him.

"Uncle? What are you looking at?" Zuko grumbled. He propped himself up on one elbow. "Is there something out there?"

"Er... It's nothing." Iroh spread his arms and shrugged, hoping that his nephew wouldn't be able to tell that he was lying, and wouldn't notice that the Avatar's bison had just _flown over_. "Go back to sleep."

Zuko laid back down and closed his eyes, and he heard his uncle sigh. Behind his eyelids, images from his _vivid_ dream about Jet were replaying in his mind. He had never had a dream like that about _anyone_, and the position he was laying in was rather uncomfortable because of that.

He heard his uncle go back to his own blankets and fall asleep, and Zuko rolled onto his back, with his hands pillowing his head as he stared up at the night sky.

Zuko still couldn't believe that he and his uncle were going right to the heart of the Earth Kingdom to hide from the _Fire Nation_ – their own people. They had to try and fit in with everyone else on the ferry, and that was so much easier for Iroh than it was for him.

And things were definitely a lot harder now.

_What has he done to me?_ Zuko thought, his mind wandering back to Jet and the cupboard that they had been in, and the way he kept looking at him with that _smirk_ and the dream just now...

Zuko shook his head and rolled onto his side, pulling the blankets up around himself, willing his _problem_ to go away without him having to do anything about it – he didn't know of anywhere on the ferry where anyone could get any privacy.

Except for the cupboard.

_He must've drugged my food. He must've given me some sort of hallucinogen._ Zuko thought to himself, closing his eyes. Because dreaming about another _guy_ touching him in _that_ way was not normal. Nope. Not at all.

...

So why did he want to see Jet again?

**This has been sitting around on my hard drive since before Christmas, and I've finally got round to uploading it. The second chapter is in the works, though I'm not sure when it will be up because I'm trying to revise for January exams *pulls a face***

**Let me know what you think, your comments and feedback are always appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Woot! Chapter 2 was done sooner than I thought in between revision.**

**Jet says some things in this chapter which are considered blasphemous, but that's how I am portraying the character. Jet does not believe in any spirits or Gods, because he's too angry about what the Fire Nation have done to the world – to him in particular. This is just my interpretation so... if this offends anyone, I'm sorry.**

**Summary:**_**"It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in."**_** Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 2**

Zuko was standing on the prow of the ferry, trying to spot Ba Sing Se through the early morning fog. He heard the footsteps behind him – they were too light for his uncle. It was probably just another traveller who had risen early and wanted to try and see the Wall.

"Y'know, as soon as I saw your scar I knew exactly who you were."

Zuko realised it was Jet, and that made him panic. Had he seen one of the many wanted posters up in the Earth Kingdom, and recognised him as the banished Prince of the Fire Nation? He glanced at the other boy, wondering if he was going to try anything like he had last night, in the cupboard, or whether he might even want to kill him...

"You're an outcast... like me." Jet went on to say, standing alongside him. Zuko hoped that the Freedom Fighter didn't notice his relieved sigh. "And us outcasts have to stick together. We have to watch each other's backs because no-one else will." He glanced at Zuko, and then looked down at the deck.

"I've realised lately that being on your own isn't always the best path." Zuko said, remembering when he had decided to separate from his uncle.

And then he could see the wall through the fog, and Zuko felt a sense of relief wash over him. The sooner they got to the city, the sooner he could leave Jet behind. The other boy gave him a bad vibe.

"We won't be on our own, Li. We'll have each other." Jet said.

"I have to stay with my uncle." Zuko said. "He's the only person I have left."

"The Fire Nation killed your family too, didn't they?" Jet asked, glancing at Zuko again. "They killed my parents when I was eight years old. They burnt down my village for no reason. They killed the men and raped the women."

"They took my mother from me." Zuko said. It wasn't a _complete_ lie – he had lost his mother. She had left one night and not told anyone where she was going. He didn't know why she had left, but he just knew that he had suffered for it.

"Is that how you got your scar?"

"No."

"How did you get it?"

"I deserved it."

"Why?"

"Why do you have to ask so many questions?" Zuko snapped. "I got my scar because I deserved it, okay? I learnt my lesson. That's all you have to know."

"How did you deserve something like that?" Jet asked. "Did you steal livestock or something, and the farmer decided to brand you to teach you a lesson?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Sorry." Jet shrugged apologetically. "I understand, I really do but... there's something different about you, Li. Something I'm trying to figure out." Jet smiled. "But I was sincere when I said that we have to watch each other's backs."

"Whatever."

"Just think about what I said, Li." Jet said, turning to walk away. "I have to go and find Smellerbee and Longshot – they're probably panicking that I've fallen overboard whilst sleepwalking or something. I'm sure we'll see each other again, anyway."

"Yeah, I guess so." Zuko said, his eyes following the Freedom Fighter as he walked away.

* * *

"I think Li would make a good Freedom Fighter." Jet announced, watching the scarred boy and his uncle walk away, heading into the station to get a train into the actual city of Ba Sing Se. "He's just trying to find his way in the world, like us."

"You don't know anything about him, Jet." Smellerbee said.

"I know he didn't get that scar from a waterbender."

"Besides, I thought we were going straight now." Smellerbee reminded him.

"We are... and the new Freedom Fighters could use a guy like Li." Jet grinned. He looked past Smellerbee. "What do you think, Longshot?"

Longshot looked at him.

"I can respect that." Jet said, taking the grass stalk out of his mouth.

"I missed it – what did he say to you?" Smellerbee asked.

"He said that the only reason why I want Li to join the Freedom Fighters is because I want to get into his pants." Jet rolled his eyes, folding his arms and hunching his shoulders. "I'm not that shallow, guys." He mumbled as Smellerbee started laughing.

* * *

Today was not going to be a good day.

Jet had almost given him a heart attack or even made him jump overboard earlier when he had said that he knew he was because of his scar, but things had turned out... okay. He still wasn't sure whether it was safe for him to keep seeing Jet – the other boy just gave him an uneasy feeling.

Zuko had seen his uncle flirting with the woman who was checking their passports and felt sufficiently disturbed after that.

A city official had announced that there were no trains running due to 'technical problems', but Zuko had seen the fear in the man's eyes and guessed it was worse than that. It meant that he and his uncle had to wait a while until they could get a train into the city, which meant sitting around doing nothing for however long it took to get the trains running again.

His uncle was currently telling stories to entertain the other refugees at the station – stories including handsome heroes and beautiful women. He told stories of lovers, like the tale of Oma and Shu, and the tale of the how a brave young woman became the Moon Spirit for the good of her people, leaving her mortal lover behind. He told stories of the Spirit World, of the Painted Lady and how she watched over the river town of Jang Hui until pollution drove her away.

"Let me see... I think I have one more story." Iroh said thoughtfully, stroking his beard. "It is another story about a spirit."

"Which spirit is this about?" A woman asked.

"It is about the Blue Spirit." Iroh replied, and Zuko flinched. "He was banished from the Spirit World for speaking out against the Sun Spirit and forced to walk amongst the mortals."

Zuko stared down at his lap, hoping no-one could see the blush on his cheeks.

"The Blue Spirit must restore his honour before he can return to the Spirit World, for the Sun Spirit is harsh and cruel, and he has given the Blue Spirit a task that is nearly impossible." Iroh smiled at the children and their parents sitting around him, their faces showing expressions of awe. "The Blue Spirit must find the Avatar."

Zuko folded his arms and sunk low into his seat.

"But the Blue Spirit's mission is different to that of the Fire Nation. The Blue Spirit must find the Avatar to help him restore balance to the world." Iroh said. "It is his mission to assist the Avatar in defeating the Fire Lord."

Zuko decided that he had heard enough. He had never been sure if Iroh knew whether he was the Blue Spirit or not, but it seemed as though his uncle was trying to give him some sort of message.

_He thinks I'm going to change, just because I'm stuck in this stupid city, with these stupid peasants._ Zuko thought, walking away from where his uncle was sat, surrounded by people listening to his stories.

"Hey, Li!"

_Why now?_

"I've been trying to find you ever since we got off the ferry." Jet said, jogging over to the other boy, a grin plastered on his face. "Where's your uncle?"

"Entertaining the whole train station over there somewhere." Zuko pointed roughly in the direction of where his uncle was sat.

"What's he doing? Juggling?"

"Telling stories."

"So are you and your uncle travelling entertainers?" Jet asked, and Zuko couldn't be more thankful, because the other boy was creating a lie for him.

"Uncle is. He's a travelling storyteller." Zuko said, surprised how easy it was to feed Jet the lie. "My father and I didn't see eye-to-eye on some things after I lost my mother, so I left home and went with my uncle. He's a bit old to travel alone, so I help him out wherever I can."

"And protect him from rogues like me?" Jet smirked.

"Does he need protecting from you?"

"No, _he_ doesn't." Jet grinned. "Come for a walk with me?"

Zuko shrugged and followed Jet away from the busier part of the train station, into an area where there was less light and shadowy alcoves in the walls. He started to feel as though going for a walk with Jet was a bad idea.

"I should get back to my uncle." Zuko said.

"I'm sure he's still busy storytelling." Jet said, turning around to face Zuko. "You sound a little scared, Li."

"I'm not scared." Zuko scowled.

"Really?" Jet smirked, and he stepped closer to Zuko, forcing him to take a step back towards the wall. "Are you sure, Li? You didn't react too well to my advances on the ferry..."

"I'm not _scared_." Zuko hissed, stepping back until he felt his back against the cold, stone wall. "I'm annoyed that you didn't take note of my rejection."

"What can I say? I like a challenge." Jet chuckled, standing in front of Zuko. "I'm not a quitter, Li. I know you want me too. You weren't exactly disgusted by me on the ferry..."

"That's not true!" Zuko snapped, and he knew that it was a lie deep down. Well, he was more disgusted by himself than Jet, especially after having _that_ dream. He shuddered at the thought of it, and then realised that Jet's body was pressed against him, and the Freedom Fighter's hands were either side of his head, trapping him against the wall. "Just... just leave me alone."

"Why?" Jet asked.

"Because you're not good for me..." Zuko replied. "This... this is wrong. I shouldn't... you're a guy. Guys shouldn't do _things_ like this with other guys."

"Why not?" Jet dipped his head, and Zuko placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back.

"Because... because it's wrong!"

"Says who?" Jet asked. "Who says its wrong, Li? People who worship idols that no-one even knows whether he, she or _it_ even exists? If it's wrong, then why do people do it? If it's wrong, then why do I have these feelings for you?"

"Jet... you don't understand." Zuko said quietly, unable to meet the other's gaze. _I can't dishonour myself in this way too. The dream on the ferry was bad enough._

"Then help me to understand." Jet pleaded. "Make me understand, Li."

"It's complicated."

"Believe me, I can deal with complicated." Jet chuckled. "I think most of the refugees here have had complicated lives, including me."

"Not this complicated."

"Try me."

"No."

"Li, you're not the only one with secrets."

"You're not telling me any of yours."

"That's because I don't want to scare you away." Jet said, and for a moment Zuko could've sworn he saw something flash in the Freedom Fighter's eyes. "Look – can we at least be friends? I want to get to know you better."

Zuko was wary – his uncle was always telling him that there was no harm in making friends, but Jet could be dangerous. He seemed fuelled by his hatred for the Fire Nation, and if he found out who Zuko _really_ was, then things would be bad. Very bad.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"Why wouldn't it be?" Jet asked. "We'll just be friends, Li. Nothing more. You don't have to worry about me 'dirtying' you with my sexual preference."

"I... don't know." Zuko said, shaking his head. "I should get back to my uncle. He's probably wondering where I am."

* * *

When Zuko returned to where his uncle was sat, the old man was just finishing telling the tale of the Blue Spirit.

"What happened to the Blue Spirit?" A child asked, sitting near Iroh's feet.

"It is unknown." Iroh said. "As far as I know, he is still searching for the Avatar. He has not been seen since he rescued the Avatar from the Fire Nation fortress, and the clutches of Admiral Zhao."

Zuko scowled and sat down next to his uncle, folding his arms as the crowd began to disperse, chattering loudly about Iroh's stories.

"You're giving them a false hope."

"Better a false hope than none at all." Iroh countered with a sigh. Why did his nephew have to be so uptight? "Did you enjoy your walk, nephew?"

Zuko shrugged.

* * *

"I still think Li would make a good Freedom Fighter."

"Even though he gave you the brush off?" Smellerbee asked, counting their money, wondering how much longer they were going to be stuck in the train station.

"Yes." Jet scowled at her. "How much have we got?"

"Not enough to buy three train tickets into the city." Smellerbee said. "Looks as though one of us is going to have to stay behind."

"Or we could steal someone else's ticket." Jet shrugged.

Smellerbee punched him in the arm.

"We're meant to be going straight now!" She scowled. "And we can start by paying for things that we need!"

"But you said we don't have enough money, and none of us are staying behind." Jet insisted, folding his arms. "We came to this city to start again – all three of us."

"So stop going on about Li!"

"I have an idea!" Jet snapped his fingers and jumped to his feet. "Maybe I can get Li to join the Freedom Fighters – he helped us steal food on the ferry!"

"And how does this help us go straight?" Smellerbee asked.

Longshot looked at Smellerbee, who howled with laughter and then held out a hand to high-five the silent archer.

"What did he say?" Jet scowled, placing his hands on his hips. "Was it about Li?"

"He said that now you've met Li, you're _definitely_ _not_ going straight." Smellerbee giggled.

"You two are so immature!" Jet snapped. "I'm going to find Li and ask him if he wants to join the new Freedom Fighters!"

"Don't forget to mention we're straight now!" Smellerbee called after him as he stormed away.

* * *

"So." Jet said, sitting down beside Zuko, obviously startling the other boy. "You guys got plans once you're inside the city?"

"Get your hot tea here!"

Zuko, Iroh and Jet all looked up at the tea peddler. Zuko was thankful for the interruption, as he had no idea what to say to Jet with his uncle here.

"Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!"

"Oh!" Iroh waved his hand in the air, catching the attention of the tea peddler. "Jasmine please!"

The tea peddler poured out a cup for Iroh and continued on his way.

Iroh took a gulp of the tea, and spat it out, scowling and shuddering.

"Coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it!" He turned to face Zuko, who was sitting with his arms folded, glaring at his uncle and trying to ignore the Earth Kingdom peasant sitting next to him. He wondered why his uncle was bothering to rant at him, considering he didn't give a damn about what the tea was like. "What a disgrace!"

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Jet asked, finding an opening in the conversation so that he could talk to Zuko. He stood up and walked away, expecting Zuko to follow.

Zuko sighed and did follow the other boy.

"You and I have a much better chance of making it in this city if we stick together." Jet turned to face Zuko with his hands on his hips and a smug grin on his face. "Wanna join the Freedom Fighters?"

"Thanks, but I don't think you want me in your gang." Zuko frowned. _If he finds out who I am he'll kill me..._

"Come on, we made a great team looting that Captain's food." Jet looked around the station, and then back at Zuko. "Think of all the good we can do for these refugees."

"I said no." Zuko insisted as he turned away.

"Have it your way." Jet managed to contain his sigh, not wanting to sound too disappointed.

Zuko knew that Jet was watching him walk back to his seat, and then he realised that there was something different.

There was steam rising from the Iroh's cup of tea.

If he had seen it, surely Jet had too.

He turned back, and saw the other boy shoot him a glare and walk away with his face set in a grimace.

Zuko had other things to deal with – Jet may not have even seen it. He might just be pissed off because he had refused to join his Freedom Fighters.

"Hey!" Iroh said, as Zuko knocked the cup out of his hands.

"What are you doing _firebending_ you tea?" Zuko hissed, hoping no-one else would notice anything unusual. "For a 'wise old man', that was a pretty stupid move!"

"I know you're not supposed to cry over spilt tea, but..." Iroh sniffed. "It's so sad."

Zuko had to take several deep breaths to prevent himself from firebending at his uncle – he didn't want to give away the fact that they were firebenders in a train station in the _Earth Kingdom capital_.

"Have they said anything about when the trains would be up and running?" Zuko growled. He just wanted to be somewhere else now.

"Nothing." Iroh said. "I'm starting to think that there is more to this than they are letting on. No-one has mentioned anything else about 'technical difficulties'. Do you know how the trains operate, nephew?"

"No."

"They are pushed along by earthbenders." Iroh explained. "Now, look around and tell me what you see."

"There aren't any earthbenders."

"None in official uniforms anyway." Iroh said.

"What do you think is going on?" Zuko asked, fearing for the worst.

"I wouldn't like to say." Iroh said. "I just hope that we get out of this station soon, before the situation escalates anymore."

_I think it already has._ Zuko thought, his gaze wandering to where Jet had been standing.

**Sooo...**

**What did you think?**

**Any comments and feedback are always appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another chapter done! Hope you enjoy :D**

**Summary: "It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in." Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 3**

"Last call for Ba Sing Se!" A city official called. It seemed that the trains were now up and running, and whatever 'technical difficulties' there had been were now fixed.

Jet was striding through the station with Smellerbee and Longshot either side of him.

"Jet, relax." Smellerbee urged. "So the old guy had some hot tea. Big deal."

"He heated it himself!" Jet insisted. "Those guys are firebenders."

He watched Li – if Li was even his real name – and his uncle board the train a few carriages down. In the end, Smellerbee had been unable to come to a solution of who would stay behind or how they would get an extra train ticket, so none of them had bought tickets in the end and he, Smellerbee and Longshot were sneaking onto the train.

"Jet, don't you think you're going a bit... over the top?" Smellerbee asked. "You don't know that they are firebenders, the old man may have got a new cup of tea if it was really that terrible."

"Are you accusing me of lying?" Jet narrowed his eyes.

"No, Jet." Smellerbee said. "I just think that you should take some time to think before you do anything. They might not be firebenders – why would firebenders come to the Earth Kingdom as refugees?"

"They're spies!"

"Jet, they're not spies!" Smellerbee hissed, not wanting to talk about Jet's suspicions too loudly – they had only just got into the city, and they didn't want to cause trouble _already_. "Look – you're just a bit... tired from being on the ferry. You just need to rest. When we get our apartment in the city, Longshot and I are going to look for jobs so that we can earn some money. You should stay in and rest."

"Smellerbee, I'm fine!" Jet insisted. "The last thing I want to do is spend all day locked in an apartment when we've _finally_ reached Ba Sing Se. I want to go out and explore the city."

* * *

Zuko was walking through the street. He and Iroh had been given a new apartment in the lower ring, and they were buying household goods.

He grimaced as his uncle jogged up beside him, carrying a large vase full of blooming orange flowers.

"I just want our new place to look nice in case someone brings home a lady friend..." Iroh said, and he nudged Zuko with his elbow, winking at him.

Zuko's face flushed – why would his uncle even think that way? He wasn't going to be bringing home any 'lady friends'. That would mean that he was putting down roots in the Earth Kingdom capital, which wasn't something that he wanted to do.

_Or any guy friends._ He thought to himself as an image of Jet conjured itself up in his mind.

"This city is a prison." Zuko protested. "I don't want to make a life here."

"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not." Iroh told his nephew, wishing that the young man would stop whining and accept the fact that Ba Sing Se was going to be their new home for a while. He had never been very good at adjusting to new environments, as several Fire Nation Naval Officers could testify. Lieutenant Jee could even show the scars, if he had survived the Siege of the North. "Now come on, I found us some new jobs and we start this afternoon."

Neither of them noticed that they were being followed.

"Look at them." Jet said in disgust. "Firebenders living right under everyone's nose."

"Jet, you saw a man with a hot cup of tea. It doesn't prove he's a firebender." Smellerbee said, walking up alongside the young man with Longshot just behind them. She thought that they were done with this conversation, but apparently they weren't. "And what if he is? Are we supposed to attack them? I thought we were starting over here," She looked at Longshot. "Changing our ways."

"We are." Jet insisted. "When I get the evidence I need I'll report them to the police and let them handle it, okay?"

Smellerbee and Longshot gave each other nervous glances.

* * *

"How do they expect us to live in here?" Zuko asked, feeling his heart sink. "There's only one bed, and it's in the middle of the main room! We were told that there were going to be three rooms – including bedrooms and washrooms!"

"Well, it looks as though the living room doubles up as one of the bedrooms, and this door looks as though it might lead to another room..." Iroh opened the door which revealed a room around the size of a cupboard. "Nephew, I think I found the other bed."

"Why is it in a cupboard?"

Iroh opened the door that was next to it.

"... And it looks as though this is the washroom." Iroh said, pointing into the small room next to the 'cupboard'. Zuko walked over and looked inside. "One of us will have to go and collect water from the pump in the courtyard whenever we want to wash or cook."

"Uncle... we... we can't live like this!" Zuko spluttered, slamming the washroom door. "This isn't an apartment! It's a box that we're expected to share!"

"I know things have not turned out how we expected," Iroh started to say, turning to face Zuko. "But consider it a blessing that we have an apartment – there are still many people on the waiting list with nowhere to live."

"None of this is a blessing! I'm going out to see if I can find the water pump." Zuko snapped, and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"Don't be back too late! We have to go to work this afternoon! And bring back some water to make tea!" Iroh called after his nephew, though he doubted that he had heard the shout.

* * *

Years of discipline were the only thing that stopped him screaming when he found Jet standing _right outside_ the apartment that he and his uncle had been given.

"Hey Li." Jet lifted a hand in greeting, as though it was perfectly normal to hang around outside people's houses without even knocking on the door to say anything to them. "I haven't seen you since the train station."

"How did you find me?" Zuko asked, blinking.

"I live in the next apartment block." Jet shrugged. "I heard you yelling about how shit the apartments are – the walls aren't very thick."

"Where's the rest of your gang?" Zuko asked.

"Looking for jobs." Jet shrugged. "I thought I would come and see you – I'm not exactly the type for full-time employment. Have you got a job?"

"Yep."

"Where?"

"I don't know, my uncle hasn't told me anything." Zuko sighed, walking past Jet.

"Where are you going?"

"To find the water pump."

"Mind if I come with you?" Jet asked, taking the grass stalk out of his mouth and licking his lips before placing the stalk back in his mouth.

"Yes, I do." Zuko scowled as he started to walk away. He stopped and looked back over his shoulder at the Freedom Fighter. "But you never listen to me, so I guess you're going to tag along anyway."

"Bingo." Jet grinned and caught up with Zuko, matching his pace easily. "Do you even know where the water pump is?"

"No, hence I said I was going to _find_ it."

"Oh. Yeah. Well, it shouldn't take us too long." Jet chuckled, brushing his hand against Zuko's, making the other teen blush and pull away. "So I'm not allowed to hold your hand?"

"Why would you be allowed to hold my hand?" Zuko snapped. _Why won't he just take the hint? I don't want him acting like this around me. It isn't right._

"Oh, I see." Jet rolled his eyes. "You're worried that someone will see us and decide to burn us at a stake for _holding hands_. There are worse crimes to be killed for, Li."

"Like what?"

"Being a firebender." Jet grinned.

Zuko kept his expression completely neutral – he could tell that the other teen was baiting him. He must've seen Iroh heat his tea, and was now convinced that they were firebenders... which was true, but Jet didn't need to know that.

"I don't suppose that you know where the water pump is?" Zuko asked, thinking back to Jet's earlier comment, and Jet's eyes narrowed at the abrupt subject change. Zuko didn't care what Jet thought – he just wanted to get rid of the peasant.

"I have an idea – when we came into the city we passed a couple of other apartment blocks and the water pumps tended to be in the middle of the courtyard or down a small alleyway that was on the side of the courtyard." Jet replied. "Seeing as we're standing in the middle of the courtyard right now and there isn't a water pump in sight, I'm guessing it's down that side-alley."

"Now that I've found it I guess you can go." Zuko said, turning to face Jet.

"And do what?" Jet asked. "It's not like I have anything better to do in this city."

"Here's an idea – find a job."

"Boooring." Jet yawned. "Why would I want to find a job when I can spend the morning with you? I'll go and find a job when you go to work."

"You could go and find a job so you stop annoying me."

"Ouch..." Jet grinned, following Zuko as he headed over to the side-alley. "Go right ahead and say what you want... don't worry about my feelings or anything."

"What feelings?"

"I have plenty of feelings." Jet scowled, slightly offended. "I'm a very caring person I'll have you know."

"If you cared, you would leave me alone." Zuko said, walking over to the water pump and testing the handle. The water _looked_ clean enough, but he and his uncle would have to boil it before they used it for anything.

"I care too much to leave you alone." Jet said, leaning against the alley wall. "I don't know, Li. There's just something about you that makes me want to hang around."

"Well don't." Zuko snapped, turning to face Jet.

"Why not?"

"You... you make me nervous." Zuko confessed, dropping his gaze.

"How?" Jet asked, stepping closer to Zuko.

"Do I have to say how?" Zuko scowled, looking up at the other teen again.

"It would be nice if you could." Jet said quietly, and suddenly Zuko found his back against the wall and the taller boy standing over him, cupping his face delicately.

"When I'm around you..." Zuko sighed softly. "When I'm with you I feel nervous because you're unpredictable. I never know what you're going to do next. It just makes me edgy..."

"You're unpredictable too y'know, like right now." Jet whispered, removing the stalk of grass from between his lips. "I'm not sure whether you're going to kiss me, or whether you're going to punch me and call me a dirty bastard."

Zuko's mind was telling him to do the latter, but he was finding it harder to think as Jet's face came closer and his eyes met Zuko's.

"I..." Zuko's breath caught in his throat as he felt Jet's lips lightly brush against his. "I... should go... I have to go to work soon..."

"Sh..." Jet's fingertips brushed Zuko's jaw. "It's alright..."

Zuko closed his eyes when he felt Jet's warm lips press against his, and he forgot everything. He forgot that he had to go to work this afternoon. He forgot that he was supposed to be annoyed with Jet's constant advances, and he forgot that he was committing a _sin_.

Jet's tongue pushed against his lips and Zuko opened his mouth, clutching at the front of Jet's tunic. Jet's hands slid down the arch of his back and cupped his ass.

"Nephew!" Iroh sounded as though he was calling from far away.

Zuko placed his hands flat on Jet's chest and pushed him away, but there was only about an inch between them.

"I have to go." Zuko whispered. "My uncle is calling me."

"When do you get off work later?"

"No idea, I already told you – I don't know anything, but it'll probably be late."

"How late?"

"Jet... I'm not sure this is a good idea..."

"What isn't?" Jet asked.

"Any of this." Zuko replied. "You said that you wanted to be friends, but... friends don't do this sort of thing!"

"Then let's take it a step further from friends."

"I _can't_." Zuko insisted, pushing Jet away from him and taking a couple of steps towards the entrance to the alleyway.

"Why not?" Jet asked, and Zuko turned back to face him. "Why can't you just give up on being honourable and all that shit and just _feel_ for once? That's the only thing that's holding you back – belief. You think that you're going to be eternally punished for having an attraction to someone of the same sex."

"You don't know that I won't be."

"And you don't know that you will be."

"Nephew!"

"I have to go, my uncle is calling me." Zuko sighed. "Look, I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I'm not sure what shift I'll be working, but your apartment isn't too far from mine. I can come and find you if you don't find me first."

"I'll find you." Jet said, leaning with his back pressed against the alley wall. "I might even stop by your tea shop later – never mind, I'll find you at some point."

"Have I upset you?"

"Would you care if I said 'yes'?" Jet scowled.

Zuko opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what he would say to the Freedom Fighter. He turned around and walked away, heading to where his uncle was standing in the middle of the courtyard.

"Did you find the water pump?" Iroh asked.

"Yes." Zuko replied.

"We have to go to work now, or we're going to be late." Iroh said. "Is everything alright?"

Zuko glanced back at the alleyway. Jet hadn't emerged yet – he guessed that the Freedom Fighter was waiting for him to leave before going back to whatever he was doing.

"Everything's fine."

**Chapter 4 is in the works, and if everything goes to plan it should be with you soon :D**

**Any comments and feedback are appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews :D**

**Summary: "It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in." Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 4**

"Well, you certainly look like official tea servers." Pao said, standing in front of Zuko and Iroh with a smile on his face. He couldn't believe that he _finally_ had some people to help him run the shop. "How do you feel?"

"Ridiculous." Zuko grumbled. He was going to kill his uncle when they finished their shift – why did he have to get them jobs in a _tea shop_?

"Uh, does this possibly come in a larger size?" Iroh asked, trying to tie the string of his apron behind his back.

"I have extra string in the back." Pao said, pouring some tea. "Have some tea while you wait." He handed the cups to Zuko and Iroh and headed to the back of the shop.

Iroh took a sip of the tea and recoiled in disgust.

"This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!" The old man exclaimed. Did no-one in Ba Sing Se make good tea? He stared into the cup accusingly.

"Uncle... that's what _all_ tea is." Zuko said in despair.

"How could a member of my own family say something so horrible?" Iroh asked, walking over to the table and picking up the teapot. "We'll have to make some major changes around here." He walked over to the window and threw the 'hot leaf juice' out of the window.

* * *

Jet dodged the tea that was thrown out of the window. He should've seen it coming, knowing that the old man was disgusted by the tea.

Smellerbee and Longshot hadn't returned to the apartment by the time Jet had got back after looking for the water pump with Li, and he couldn't get the kiss out of his mind, or his suspicions that Li and his uncle were firebenders so Jet had decided to follow Li to work and see if he could find any evidence.

And maybe drag Li off somewhere when his shift was over to continue from where Li's uncle had interrupted them earlier...

He walked around to the back of the building and decided to sit where the water pump for the tea shop and the surrounding businesses was.

Jet grinned to himself when Li walked out of the tea shop, carrying a bucket to fill with water, grumbling to himself about being stuck in this 'hell hole'.

"Oh come on, this place isn't all bad." Jet said, stepping out of the shadows, startling the other teen.

* * *

"Where the hell did you come from?" Zuko scowled, placing the bucket on the ground under the pump. He narrowed his eyes at the other teen and folded his arms. "Have you been following me?"

"What else have I got to do?" Jet shrugged. _Damn, he's got pretty eyes._

"I already told you – go and find a job."

"I have a job."

"Since when?"

"Since now."

"Oh yeah, what is it?"

"Brightening your day whilst you're at work." Jet grinned, walking over to the scarred boy and watching him narrow his eyes even more.

"..."

"Aren't you pleased to see me?"

"Aren't you mad at me after this morning?"

"No, not really. I got over it." Jet said, grinning.

"You're just going to hang around here and make a nuisance of yourself while I'm trying to make an honest living and earn some money." Zuko scowled and began to fill the bucket with water.

"I was going to meet you after your shift anyway." Jet said, knotting his fingers together and stretching his arms. "It's okay, I'll go somewhere else – do you know what time you finish yet?"

Zuko thought for a minute.

"Eight."

"I'll meet you here at eight." Jet said and pecked the other boy on the cheek before walking away.

* * *

Zuko sighed. He was annoyed because Jet seemed to have this way of getting under his skin without even trying. The Freedom Fighter was currently occupying his thoughts as he was trying to wash up some tea cups. He thought about when Jet said that he was come and meet him at eight – in about twenty minutes – and it felt as though his heart had skipped a beat.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ Zuko thought to himself with a scowl, furiously beginning the scrub the tea cup he was currently washing. _I can't stop thinking about him... ugh, I sound like a love struck teenage girl._

_Love struck?_ Zuko thought to himself in alarm. He dropped the tea cup that he had been washing, and it smashed on the wooden floor.

"Nephew?" Iroh peered around the washroom door, holding a tray of tea cups. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine." Zuko said, his eyes scanning the room for a broom to clear the mess up with. "My hand slipped. Do you know where the broom is?"

"Try the cupboard on the left. I think Pao said that's where most of the cleaning supplies are kept." Iroh suggested. "Just make sure you clean up quickly – we're starting to get busy." And with that he disappeared, going to serve tea to the waiting customers.

The cupboard door was locked, and Zuko didn't feel like going to his boss on his _first day_ to tell him that he had broken something already. He walked over to the smashed china, crouched down and began to pick up the larger pieces and deposit them into his apron, scowling.

_I really have to do something to get him out of my head._ Zuko thought to himself, wondering if he should cancel his meeting with Jet tonight. The problem was that he had no idea where he could find the other boy to cancel, and Pao didn't give breaks.

Iroh walked into the backroom, carrying a tray of empty cups.

"Why aren't you using a broom?"

"The cupboard was locked." Zuko shrugged. "I wasn't going to ask Pao to unlock it... breaking something on my first day isn't exactly something I want to tell him. He might fire me or something, and I can't risk losing this job."

"Nephew, I'm sure that Pao would understand." Iroh said, putting the try down on next to the sink. He walked over to Zuko and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "One tea cup is not something to worry about."

"Ugh... I guess I'm just a little distracted." Zuko grumbled. He winced and scowled when the sharp edge of one of the pieces of china scraped against his skin, slicing the palm of his hand. "And now I've cut myself. Great. Just great."

Zuko pulled away from his uncle's reassuring touch and stomped over to the washing up bowl.

"You can't wash your cut in that." Iroh insisted, grabbing Zuko's wrist just as he was about to sink his hand into the dirty water. "We'll go and get some clean water, and I'm sure there are some bandages somewhere. You don't want that getting infected."

Zuko rolled his eyes as Iroh pushed past him and took the washing up bowl out of the sink. He hated it when his uncle turned into a 'mother hen', and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

"Uncle, it'll be fine." Zuko sighed.

"Just sit here, Zuko." Iroh grabbed a dusty stool from the corner of the room and placed it in front of his nephew, who eyed it with disgust. "I'll go and get some more clean water." Iroh said, placing the bowl down on the side. He walked over to the bucket in the corner of the small room. "If you feel like you're going to faint, put your head between your knees."

Iroh walked out of the backdoor, and Zuko scowled at the doorway.

_I'm not going to faint. It's only a bit of blood._ Zuko looked at his hand. The vibrant shade of red that was his blood contrasted against the pale skin of his hand. The blood had run into the lines on his palm, and the edges of the cut pulled apart whenever he flexed his hand. He started to feel sick in the pit of his stomach, and he felt all of the blood rush from his face. Zuko's ears felt as though they were plugged up, and black dots began to appear in his vision.

It was then that Zuko decided that maybe it was a good idea for him to sit on the stool, no matter how filthy it was.

* * *

Jet was waiting outside the tea shop – it was ten to eight, which meant that he was early. He had no idea whether Li would be allowed to leave ten minutes early, but he doubted it. Not on his first day, anyway.

He decided to see if the other teen was in the backroom washing up, and walked around to the back of the tea shop, where Li's uncle was pumping fresh water into a bucket.

"Jet, hello!" Mushi called, waving to the young man. "It is nice to see you."

"Yeah, I'm supposed to be meeting Li."

"Do you two have plans?"

"I was going to take him out around the city, maybe grab a bite to eat too." Jet shrugged, wondering if Li's uncle even knew that they had entered some sort of uneasy friendship. "You didn't already have dinner prepared, did you?"

"No, I didn't. It would be nice for my nephew to spend some time with someone his own age." The old man said. "Sometimes I worry that he doesn't have enough friends, and that might be why he is so angry all of the time."

"He does seem lonely." Jet mused. "I guess both of us are... The only real friends I've ever had are Smellerbee and Longshot."

"Oh yes, how are your friends? I haven't seen them since the ferry."

"They're both fine. I haven't seen them since this morning – they went out job hunting, and I just went out to look around the city." Jet said. "I like coming to new places, and here... here everything is so different. I could explore this city forever."

"It is a majestic place." Mushi nodded. He picked up the bucket. "Would you like to come in? Li finishes his shift in a few minutes."

"That would be nice." Jet nodded.

* * *

Zuko opened his eyes and found that he was staring at the ceiling. He felt something cool and damp press against his forehead, and he batted it away.

"Hey! I'm trying to help!"

_Oh spirits, no..._ Zuko's eyes flicked to the source of the voice, and he saw Jet kneeling next to his head with a cloth in his hand. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You fainted." Jet said, wringing the cloth out into the basin of water next to him. "Your uncle said you cut your hand or something. He's looking for some clean bandages right now. I managed to stop most of the bleeding, but I haven't cleaned your hand yet. I was hoping you would come round before I did... I don't really want to hurt you when I do it."

"Whether I'm awake or whether I'm unconscious isn't going to make a different to whether it hurts or not!" Zuko snapped, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Whoa, don't sit up to quick."

He felt one of Jet's hands on his back, helping to support him and Jet's other hand clasped his shoulder, making sure he didn't sit up to quick.

"You alright?" Jet asked, studying the scarred boys face.

"I'm fine." Zuko snapped, and rubbed his face with his uninjured hand.

"You sure?" Jet asked warily, slowly withdrawing his hands from Zuko. "You looked _really_ pale when I walked in... paler than normal. It was actually pretty scary. I thought that something really bad had happened."

"No. I'm fine."

"Do you still want to go out?"

"I'm not sure..." Zuko said, stretching his arms. He studied his hands. They _were_ paler than usual – except for the drying blood on one of them – and he was shaking slightly. "I still feel a bit... strange. I might just go home."

"Oh. Yeah. I understand."

He saw the downcast expression on Jet's face and mentally sighed. He _wanted_ to go out with Jet, but he was worried that he would faint again, or that he would let something slip out about him being a firebender in his disorientated state.

"I want to go out." Zuko blurted. "I really do, I just don't think it's a good idea right now..."

"Yeah, you should probably go home and rest." Jet said.

"Nephew?" Iroh walked into the room and crouched down beside Zuko. "How are you feeling now?"

"Strange..."

"I couldn't find any bandages." Iroh said. "We have some at the apartment, but I have to stay here and help Pao close up the shop. I don't want you walking home alone, so you're going to have to wait for me."

"I could walk him home." Jet suggested.

Zuko and Iroh both looked at the Freedom Fighter.

"Your apartment is right near mine, so it's on my way." Jet said. "And I can make sure Li doesn't pass out again, _and_ I can bandage his hand for him."

"Would you do that?" Iroh asked.

"Sure."

Zuko opened his mouth to protest.

"Thank you, Jet. Remind me to give you a free cup of tea next time you come here." Iroh beamed at the young man and walked out of the back room – he still had a few customers to deal with, and a few tea cups to wash up.

"Thanks." Jet called after the old man and grinned. He stood up and held a hand out to Zuko. "Come on then, the sooner we get back to your house, the sooner you can get a good night's sleep and be right as rain for tomorrow."

"Who uses that expression?" Zuko asked with a faint smile as he took the hand. Jet's eyes widened. "What... what's wrong?"

"You just smiled." Jet blinked. "I don't think I've ever seen you do that before."

"Hey, there isn't much to smile about in this city when you're living like this." Zuko scowled at Jet, making the other teen laugh and drag him out of the back door of the tea shop.

"I'll give you something to smile about." Jet grinned, and pulled Zuko into his arms, leaning against the alley wall. He leant down and pressed his lips to Zuko's.

Zuko only hesitated slightly before giving in to the kiss.

**A/N: Hooray, another chapter finished!**

**Writing about Zuko's cut was so much fun for me, as I'm the most squeamish person in the world. I went to a lesson afterwards, and got asked by half of my class if I was okay because I looked pale.**

**I should probably slow down with this fic and really get my ass in gear for exams and coursework, but I'm just not in the mood.**

**How come I can write two thousand word chapters on this fic, but I don't have any motivation to even write down five bullet points on psychology?**

**Oh well, tomorrow is another day.**

**Any comments or feedback are appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews and favs!**

**Summary: "It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in." Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 5**

Jet had ulterior motives for walking him home.

Zuko could tell by the way he was taking forever to search for the bandages in the kitchen, leaving him sitting on the bed, back pressed against the headboard, with his hand held out in front of him, palm to the ceiling.

"Have you found the bandages yet?"

"Nope."

_Stop looking for proof that we're firebenders._ Zuko thought with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. Did Jet really think that he and his uncle were that stupid as to have Fire Nation garments with them? The only thing that could prove that they were firebenders was the scar on the left side of his face, but that would only be if they ran into someone who had seen the wanted posters.

Jet walked back into the room, carrying a roll of bandages.

"I found it eventually." Jet held it up for Zuko to see, and then knelt down next to him on the bed. "Next time you should put them in a more obvious place. I lost count of the amount of cupboards I searched in."

"Doesn't your apartment have lots of cupboards?" Zuko asked as Jet took his hand and began to inspect the cut.

"I don't know. Smellerbee said that I wasn't allowed anywhere near the kitchen." Jet grinned. "I'm great at survival – I can live in a forest with a bunch of other people, I can fight against the Fire Nation, I can read a map and instantly know where I am, and I can hunt for food... I just can't cook it." Jet lowered Zuko's hand and slid off the bed. "We need clean water to wash the cut with. I'll be back soon, I'm just going to the water pump."

"When you come back, you have to tell me your experience with cooking." Zuko said. "I want to know the exact reason why Smellerbee banned you from the kitchen."

"Only if you tell me something in return." Jet smirked and slipped out of the room.

He returned a few minutes later, carrying a bucket full of water, which he emptied into a basin and set down on the bed next to Zuko.

"So. Why are you banned from the kitchen?" Zuko asked as Jet took his hand and submerged it into the basin of water, using a clean cloth to gently rub at the cut. "Did you blow something up when you were cooking?"

"I didn't blow anything up." Jet scowled, and then he grinned sheepishly. "I just... set fire to the whole treehouse."

"When I was a kid I set fire to my mother's curtains." Zuko confessed, his expression turning solemn. "She wasn't very happy with me, but she laughed it off in the end. She was like that... she wouldn't stay mad for long periods of time. She would forgive people." Absent-mindedly, he touched the edge of his scar with the tips of his fingers.

"Who did that to you?" Jet asked, wringing out the cloth.

"Did what?"

"Gave you that scar."

"I already told you, all you need to know is that I deserved it." Zuko bristled, turning his face away so that his scar was away from Jet. "I... I needed to learn respect."

"So having your face burnt teaches respect? Good to know." Jet deadpanned, wiping Zuko's hand with the cloth. "I've been wondering what kind of person you were before you left home, Li. Were you always this closed off with people, or is it just something that happened as the years went by? Did you used to smile a lot, or were you always so grim-faced and afraid of feeling something?"

"You don't know me!" Zuko snapped. "I'm not afraid to feel!"

"You sure seem it!" Jet said, throwing the cloth down into the basin, picking up the roll of bandage that was beside him. "Whenever I come near you, it's always like part of you wants me to go away because doing anything with me is a 'sin', and part of you wants me to stay because, in truth, you're either curious about your feelings or you _have_ decided that you like me, but you're afraid I'll get too close and one of us will get hurt."

_You have no idea. _"Jet, things are complicated..."

"Then let me make them simple for you." Jet snapped. "Do you like me or not?"

"... I... I do like you."

"Do you see me as friend?"

"... Yes."

"Do you find me appealing in a sexual way?"

"I..."

"Just a simple 'yes' or 'no' will suit me fine." Jet said, wrapping the bandage around Zuko's hand, refusing to meet his gaze. He had never been one to take rejection very well, and an odd nauseas feeling in his stomach was telling him what he suspected the other boy's answer to be.

"I don't know." Zuko said. "I don't know how I feel... before I met you, there was this girl I knew, and I always thought... I thought that I loved her." He looked up at Jet. "And then you came along and you changed everything. I'm so confused – how I feel about you is the same way I felt about her before all of this..."

"Are you ever going to see her again?"

"I... I don't think so. She's far away. Back home."

"And you don't ever plan on going home again?"

"I... I want to go home, I really do." Zuko sighed and looked down at his hand as Jet finished tying off the bandage. "But in all honesty I don't think I will ever go home again. I don't think my uncle knows I've realised yet – he's happy with this simple life, living in Ba Sing Se and working in the tea shop. I'm not."

"You could be, couldn't you?"

"Be what?"

"Happy living here." Jet shrugged, washing his hands in the basin. "Maybe simple is what you need."

"Hmm."

"Can I kiss you again?" Jet asked, crawling up the bed so that he was above Zuko.

"It's not like you ask permission usually." Zuko snorted.

"I know." Jet grinned, straddling the other boy's waist. "But I don't want to make you faint again – it would be awkward explaining it to your uncle."

Zuko scowled at him, but he didn't push Jet away when he gently pressed his lips to the corner of his mouth, and then kissed him properly. He wanted to tell Jet that this was a bad idea, that they couldn't do anything like this, that they couldn't see each other. They had tried being friends, and it hadn't worked. It had ended up like this and it was wrong. It would be a permanent tarnish upon his already diminished honour.

But he couldn't do it.

He was scared of what would happen if he lost Jet.

Jet was the only friend his own age that he had _ever_ had. He had never been good with people, and when his mother had been around he had spent most of his time with her because she was the only one who seemed to care about him. Before Iroh and Lu Ten had gone to war – and when they came back on leave – they always used to spend time with him. Lu Ten was the one who had taught him everything he knew about sword fighting, even though he had been a gifted firebender. Zuko had tried to distance himself from his memories of his deceased cousin – it was too painful to think of how his cousin had perished, and the rumours that surrounded his death. Zuko had spent time with Azula's friends, but he didn't really consider them to be his friends, as he didn't know them well. Ty Lee had always been too happy, and she had got on his nerves. Mai had seemed to like him, and he had liked her, but it seemed unlikely that he would ever be able to act on those feelings. He was a disgrace to his nation, one of the reasons why he and his uncle had fled to Ba Sing Se – to prevent Azula finding them and taking them back to face trial. After the Siege of the North, he was considered a traitor, not just an exile.

"Stop..." Zuko whispered, gently pushing Jet away. "Stop, please."

"What's wrong?" Jet asked, puzzled. It wasn't like he had done anything the other boy wasn't familiar with – all he had done was kiss him.

"Can you promise me something?"

"No matter what happens, you'll always stay." Zuko said. "Even if the Fire Nation break through the walls of Ba Sing Se and the Earth Kingdom falls, you'll stay by my side the whole time. I want you to promise that you'll never leave me."

"Wow... you've sure changed your tune." Jet blinked, and then he smiled. "Do you really think I would've gone through all of this to break down your walls if I wasn't going to stick around? I came to Ba Sing Se to make a fresh start and I want you to be a part of it."

"I don't want my uncle to know about any of this." Zuko said, and Jet raised an eyebrow. "Well, he can know that we're friends, but I don't really want him to know about... y'know..."

"Oh yeah, of course." Jet grinned. "It's cool with me." He lifted Zuko's chin and pressed their lips together, his hand trailing down to grip Zuko' shoulders as he shifted in the other boy's lap to get into a more comfortable position. Zuko's hands were on either side of Jet's face as he opened his mouth, allowing Jet to slide his tongue between his parted lips.

"Nephew?" Iroh called, walking into the apartment.

"I'm in my room!" Zuko ducked out from under Jet, smiling apologetically. "It looks as though it's time for you to go."

"Yeah, I should go home anyway. Smellerbee probably thinks I've been arrested." Jet shrugged, smirking. "Even though I say this is a fresh start, I don't think she really believes me."

"That's because she's responsible."

"Yeah, I guess so." Jet said, climbing off the bed and running his fingers through his hair. "Do you have to work tomorrow?"

"I don't see why Pao would let me have the day off." Zuko shrugged. "He just doesn't seem like that type of guy..."

"Alright then." Jet said. "I'll stop by at the tea shop tomorrow, and if you're not there I'll come here. In fact, I might try here first. I don't know if I can be bothered to walk all the way to the tea shop and possibly walk back here."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow." Jet nodded and walked out of the room.

"Ah Jet, I didn't realise you were still here." Iroh said as the young man walked out of his nephew's room.

"I just wanted to make sure that Li was okay." Jet said, and he spotted the spark rocks that the old man had just put down on the table.

"Is he okay?"

"I think so." Jet shrugged. "Maybe you should check on him."

"Very well."

"Don't worry, I can see myself out." Jet watched as the old man went into the other room, and he snatched the spark rocks off the table, before dashing out of the apartment.

* * *

"Jet, where the hell have you been all day?" Smellerbee demanded as he stumbled in through the front door. She was kneeling by the stove, stirring something that looked as though it might be their evening meal. "Longshot came back to look for you and you were gone!"

"I was following Li."

"Not this again..." Smellerbee grumbled. "Jet, I really think – hey! What are you doing?"

She had turned around to see the leader of the Freedom Fighters climbing up onto the balcony above their apartment. She stuck her head out of the window, to see Jet hiding behind a washing line, kneeling on the balcony.

"Go away, Smellerbee." He hissed. "You'll attract attention to me!"

"What are you doing?"

"You'll find out." Jet grinned, staring across the courtyard.

From the balcony he was sitting on, he could see Li and his uncle in their house. Li's uncle was making a cup of tea, whilst Li was still laying on the other bed, possibly even thinking about the Freedom Fighter.

"Would you like a pot of tea?" The old man asked his nephew.

"We've been working in a tea shop all day!" Li said in despair. "I'm sick of tea!"

_No you haven't._ Jet smirked. _You passed out._

"Sick of tea?" His uncle exclaimed. "That's like being sick of breathing!" He began to rummage through one of the drawers. "Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?"

"They're not there." Jet smirked, unfolding his hand to reveal the spark rocks in the palm of his hand. "You'll have to firebend, old man." He watched as Li's uncle left the apartment. "Where are you going?"

"I borrowed our neighbours." Li's uncle said as he walked back into their apartment. "Such kind people."

He proceeded to start the fire with the spark rocks.

_I can wait. _Jet frowned and pulled the washing back up in front of him._ You're going to firebend eventually, and I'm going to be here when you do._

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want any tea?"

"I'm sure, uncle." Zuko scowled, staring at the ceiling. He wondered where Jet was now – had he really gone home for dinner, or he was he still out on the streets, wandering around the city? It wouldn't surprise him if the other boy was still out – he didn't seem like the type of person who liked to be shut up indoors.

Iroh poured out his cup of tea and sat down on the wooden chair in the corner of their apartment.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Better. I still feel a bit woozy though." Zuko said, and his stomach growled loudly. "And hungry too. Do we have anything to eat?"

"We have bread."

"Is that it?" Zuko asked, and Iroh nodded. "It'll have to do."

"Nephew, I know living like this is hard for you, but you're just going to have to get used to it." Iroh said, walking over to his nephew, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You have to face the reality – we're going to be in this city for a very long time. Maybe it is time you started to build a life here, as it does not look like you will be getting your old one back for a while."

"If at all." Zuko said quietly. "Can you bring that bread to my room please, uncle? I think I'll eat in there and then have an early night." He slid off his uncle's bed and walked into his own room, closing the door behind him.

He knew that his uncle was trying to be gentle, and not tell him outright that it was likely he would never be able to return home, but he wished that the old man would get mad at him and yell that they were never going home – he didn't think his uncle had ever yelled at him, unlike his father. He wished Iroh would get mad and tell him that he had spent three years at sea, away from home. He was never going to go back.

But if Iroh told him that, it would mean that he had nothing to lose and he could accept that he could make a life with Jet.

But Zuko wasn't ready to give up his old life yet. He still had hope that he would capture the Avatar and return home, because sometimes his hope was all he had.

_You have Jet now._ A voice in the back of his mind whispered as he closed his eyes, leaning back against the door.

**Next chapter is pretty much finished, I just have to make some improvements because I wrote most of it when I was bored and tired. I will try to upload it as soon as possible!**

**Any comments or feedback are appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! This chapter has been finished for a while, but I've just been a bit preoccupied with college stuff and an idea for an AU that attacked me one morning when I woke up and basically was planned with my older sister in five minutes after I woke up.**

**Summary: "It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in." Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Warnings: Oral sex**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 6**

Zuko's eyes snapped open when he felt the breeze through the window. Before he had gone to sleep, he had made sure that the curtains were pulled across to prevent a draft. Even though it had been a relatively warm day, his experience with travelling abroad had supplied with the knowledge that there could be drastic temperature changes between day and night. Luckily enough, the moon was bright enough that he didn't need to firebend to see why the curtains were open.

"Jet, what the hell are you doing in here?" Zuko hissed, glaring at the Freedom Fighter standing in the corner of the room, leaning against the wall with that stupid piece of grass he was always chewing in his mouth.

"I couldn't wait until tomorrow to see you." Jet shrugged. "And I was going to surprise you when you woke up in the morning, but it looks like you're awake now. Surprised?"

"What do you think?" Zuko snapped and threw back the blankets, walking over to the window. He pulled the curtains closed and turned around to see Jet staring at him with one eyebrow raised and a grin. "What the hell are you smiling at?"

"What? Oh, nothing." Jet grinned, and looked Zuko up and down – the other boy was wearing just his underwear. "Do you always sleep so... _exposed_?"

Zuko's cheeks flushed bright red and he climbed back into bed, pulling the blankets up sharply to cover most of him.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Jet laughed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "If you think you're exposed, you should see how I sleep."

Zuko's cheeks flushed darker.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Probably, but I've never slept very well ever since... never mind. It doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about it right now." Jet shook his head, as though trying to get rid of an evil thought that had been plaguing him.

"Since you lost your parents?"

"Yeah. That's it."

"You're not the only one." Zuko drew his knees up to his chest. "When I lost my mother I couldn't sleep. I was scared."

"Which is why I don't want to get into this subject right now." Jet said, turning on the bed to face Zuko, and crossed his legs. "Li... you only ever seem fixed on the bad things that have happened to you. Surely something good has happened that you can tell me about?"

"I can't think of anything."

"You didn't even take the time to think!" Jet scowled. "Why the hell won't you take the time to look back on your life and think of something good?"

"Because nothing good _has_ happened to me."

"I can think of something good that's happened to you – in fact, I can think of a few good things that have happened to you." Jet smiled.

"What?"

"You met me." Jet suggested, and he felt a bloom of warmth inside his chest when the other boy smiled – only slightly, but it was still a smile. "You have your uncle, you managed to escape the war and move to Ba Sing Se, you have your own apartment, you have a paying job. Li, you have to look at all the small things in life – I learnt that when I was living in the forest. After I lost my parents I thought that things would never get better, but I met people who had a similar past to me, and then I... I don't know, I sort of built a home for them. I had a family again, and that's something I'm going to treasure forever."

Zuko didn't say anything, contemplating what Jet had just said.

"Damn it."

"What?" Zuko asked, sitting upright.

"I got us back onto the subject of our parents." Jet rolled his eyes. "We really need to find something better to talk about."

"Erm..." Zuko had no idea what they should talk about. He had never really spoken to anyone his own age. For most of his life he had been surrounded by Fire Nation Navy Officers who had no time for his teenage problems or sharing a polite conversation. They were only interested in where they were going next, and whether they would be docking at a harbour in the next couple of days. "The weather?"

"Are you serious?" Jet blinked and then laughed. "Li, do you have any idea how to act around anyone your own age?"

"... Not really. I've never really spent this much time with anyone my age."

"Oh yeah, travelling with your uncle and all that." Jet nodded. "I understand. The only people I've really spent time with are people my own age, seeing as I built the Freedom Fighters out of orphaned children who were living in trees."

"Neither of us have had the lives we should've, have we?" Zuko asked quietly. He tried to imagine what Jet would've been like if there had been no war. He probably would've lived on a farm and been a family man – he probably would've met some nice girl, and their parents would already be planning the wedding. If there hadn't been a war, Jet wouldn't have lost his parents. He wouldn't have hated the Fire Nation.

Under those circumstances, they never would've met.

He would've been in the Fire Nation capital, and he would be the son his father had always wanted. Maybe his mother would even still be around.

"No." Jet replied. "But we can do our best with what we've got."

"You should probably leave." Zuko said. "It's probably the middle of the night or something, and I don't want us to wake my uncle."

"We're not going to wake up your uncle if I just shared your bed." Jet grinned. "Unless you've got something else planned."

"... No."

"Whatever, Li. You're not as innocent as you want everyone to think you are." Jet laughed at the expression on Zuko's face, kicking off his shoes as he pulled his shirt off over his head. "No, don't worry about it, I'm kidding. You're such a girl."

"I'm not a g –" Zuko started to protest, but Jet touched a finger to his lips.

"Hey." He said softly, crawling under the blanket. "If you're going to start shouting, then we are going to wake your uncle up."

"But –"

"Don't worry, I'll be gone in the morning." He cracked a smile. "And by that, I mean that I'll get out of bed, get dressed, climb out of your window and then knock on the door."

"That means you won't be gone in the morning."

"Well, you get what I mean." Jet grinned, and pressed a kiss to Zuko's forehead. "Night."

"Hmm. Goodnight." Zuko shifted closer to the warm body next to him, and Jet stroked his hair softly, humming something that sounded like an old Earth Kingdom lullaby. Zuko realised that he recognised the tune as an old Fire Nation Song his mother used to sing to him when he couldn't sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Zuko awoke to an empty bed and loud knocking on his bedroom door.

"Nephew, are you awake?"

_I am now._ "Yes."

"I have to go to the tea shop – after you left last night Pao said that you could take the day off. He doesn't want you passing out again." Iroh said. "He said to take a day to recover and then come back to work tomorrow."

"Okay." Zuko called and layed down to go back to sleep.

"And Jet's here to see you." Iroh called, before Zuko heard the door to the apartment slam.

"Good morning..." Zuko groaned into his pillow and rolled over as the door to his bedroom was flung open by the Freedom Fighter. Jet laughed and walked over to the bed. "Come on, beautiful. You've got a day off. I've made plans for how we can spend the day. Your uncle said that if you're feeling okay, he isn't expecting you back until midnight at the latest. He wants you to go out and enjoy yourself."

"Go... 'way..." Zuko grumbled into the pillow. "Sleepy."

"What was that? You want me to pull the blankets back?" Jet asked really loudly, and he laughed as he pulled the blankets off of Zuko, throwing them to the floor.

"Bastard." Zuko muttered and grabbed the front of Jet's tunic, pulling him down onto the bed. He rolled over to face him.

And then he realised just how close Jet was.

The other boy was so close that their noses were touching, and he could see the amusement twinkling in Jet's brown eyes. Zuko closed his eyes as he felt Jet's hand brush against his waist, and then settle on his hip. Jet's other hand stroked his cheek, and he felt Jet's breath against his lips just before the Freedom Fighter kissed him.

It was slow and chaste, and Zuko found himself relaxing into it. It wasn't as frantic as the rest of the kisses they had shared – they actually had time they could spend together, seeing as he had been given the day off.

"You wanna go out?" Jet murmured, pressing his forehead to Zuko's.

"Where would we go?" Zuko asked.

"I don't know, anywhere." Jet said, rolling off the bed, getting to his feet. "Let's just go out and spend some time together. You always say that you never get to spend time with anyone your own age, so let's just go and hang out."

"Can I have five more minutes?"

"No."

"Please?" Zuko rolled over to face Jet, propping himself up on one elbow. "Five more minutes isn't going to impair your plans for the day."

"I don't even have a plan yet." Jet shrugged. "But five minutes in bed won't hurt." He climbed into the bed with Zuko, pulling the blankets over the two of them, wrapping Zuko in his arms.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Zuko asked, as Jet dragged him to the outskirts of the lower ring, past the last couple of houses and shops.

"The other day when I was exploring the city I came across this great place where we could go." Jet explained. "It doesn't look as though many people come here often, so we could... spend the day there, doing whatever we want to."

"Oh, okay."

"Come on, it's just up this hill." Jet said, leading Zuko up to the top of the hill.

There was a large, old, gnarled tree on the top of the hill, with a small, cleared patch of earth underneath it.

"It looks as though someone was buried here." Zuko said, crouching down and wiping away the top layer of dirt. There was a roughly cut stone under the layer of earth, with some words engraved into it and the Fire Nation insignia engraved underneath the name. Zuko's unburned eye widened as he traced the letters with his fingertips. _Lu Ten._

"What?" Jet asked, crouching down beside him. He saw the Fire Nation insignia, and his light-hearted expression turned into a grimace. "Fire Nation scum. How dare he be buried here within an Earth Kingdom city – the Earth Kingdom _capital_!" Jet stood up, glaring down at the stone. "We have to remove this."

"What? Why?" Zuko asked, looking up at the Freedom Fighter.

"He's Fire Nation!"

"And he's dead!" Zuko stood up, facing Jet. "It would be disrespectful to dig him up, or whatever you've got planned! He died fighting for his nation, just like millions of people all over the world."

"He's still Fire Nation, Li! Think about what the Fire Nation have done to us, personally!" Jet snapped. "They killed my parents and they gave you that scar! They're nothing but scum, especially the Fire Lord and the rest of the royal fami –"

Zuko's fist connected with Jet's jaw.

"You don't know anything about how I got my scar." He said quietly, glowering with anger, paying no attention to his now painful knuckle.

"That's because you won't tell me anything!" Jet growled, rubbing his jaw. "All you've told me is that you deserved it, and that someone gave it to you to teach you respect! If you tell me how you got it, then maybe I would be able to understand why you don't want to talk about it!"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE MY FATHER DID IT!" Zuko roared, balling his hands into fists. He could feel the urge to ignite his hands and just _burn_ Jet. Why did this Earth Kingdom peasant have to know so much about him? Why did he always have to ask questions? _I have to get out of here. I have to get away before I do something stupid..._

"... W-what?" Jet spluttered, staring open-mouthed at the scarred boy. "Li –"

Zuko turned away and started to walk down the hill.

He had to get away – he probably wouldn't go home, Jet could find him easily there. He had to find somewhere to go where he could let out all of his anger and frustration. His anger at Jet for wanting to disrespect Lu Ten's grave, his frustration that the Freedom Fighter was so nosy... and the anger he directed at himself. He should've known that he wouldn't be able to start a new life in Ba Sing Se. It was too different to home, and too many people were occupied with asking questions, which the answers to were none of their business.

Zuko was startled from his thoughts when he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. He turned around and found himself face to face with Jet.

There was a dark bruise forming on the taller boy's jaw, and his eyes were shining with words he couldn't quite bring himself to say... _I'm sorry._

Zuko's fingertips brushed against the bruise, and then he placed a soft kiss to the battered skin. Jet's hand came up and his fingertips traced the edge of his scar, feeling the roughness of the ruined flesh.

"Now I know why you left home." Jet said quietly, kissing Zuko on either cheek. He could see the unshed tears threatening to spill in the scarred boy's golden eyes. "When you said that you and your father didn't see 'eye-to-eye', I thought it was just an extreme family argument. I didn't realise that it was this bad..."

Zuko closed his eyes as Jet kissed him and fisted his hands into his shaggy mop of brown hair, pulling himself closer to the taller boy. Jet slid his tongue into Zuko's mouth, squeezing his eyes shut as he placed his hands on Zuko's waist.

* * *

Jet slammed Zuko against the door to the apartment once it had closed, and kissed him fiercely, grabbing his wrists. He pinned Zuko's wrists against the door and began to kiss the scarred boy's neck, biting down on the sensitive skin and then sucking on it.

"It's okay..." Zuko said breathlessly. "My uncle's going to be working all day... we'll have... the place to ourselves..."

"Good... you really don't want him to walk in on this." Jet grinned against Zuko's neck. He recaptured Zuko's lips in a passionate kiss, slipping a thigh between his legs.

Zuko's breathing hitched as he felt the blood rushing to his groin as Jet released one of his hands to pull his over tunic open and yanked it down his arms, dropping it to the floor.

"Damn it, Li. You wear too many clothes." Jet chuckled, starting to work on the belt that held his under tunic closed. "It looks as though we need to go shopping to buy you something easier to get out of..."

"Like you can talk." Zuko growled, running his free hand over Jet's shoulder plates. "How the hell am I supposed to get this armour off? None of it even matches!"

"We'll get to that part soon..." Jet said. "I want to get you out of your clothes first to see what I've got to work with. This is your first time, right?"

"Erm... y-yes..." Zuko stuttered, and a furious blush rose in his cheeks as Jet carelessly through his under tunic across the room.

Jet then went to his knees in front of him, inspecting the drawstring ties on his trousers. He grinned and placed his hands on Zuko's thighs, before gripping the drawstring in his teeth and he started to undo the knot. He dug his nails into Zuko's thighs as he managed to undo the knot, and then he pulled Zuko's trousers down, leaving him only clad in his thin underwear.

"Don't expect me to do this all the time." Jet grinned up at Zuko before pulling down his underwear. He kissed the tip of Zuko's arousal and then took his length into his mouth, making Zuko moan loudly and fist his hands into Jet's hair.

Zuko bucked his hips, thrusting into the wet heat of the more experienced teenager's mouth. Jet's hands immediately gripped his hips, roughly pinning him against the door, preventing Zuko from thrusting into his mouth. He didn't want to gag when he was trying to make Zuko's first time amazing. Jet licked the slit and closed his eyes, satisfied with the whimper he earnt from Zuko.

"Jet... oh... fuck..." Zuko panted, tightening his grip on Jet's hair as the Freedom Fighter hummed around his arousal. "Fuck... I..." He closed his eyes and threw his head back. He had never experienced anything like this before. He was wondering if it would feel this good for Jet if the Freedom Fighter asked him to return the favour.

The other boy seemed as though he was starting to compose himself again, so Jet glanced up at him and took the whole of Zuko's length into his mouth, feeling it hit the back of his throat. Zuko groaned, feeling himself getting closer to his release.

"Jet..." The Freedom Fighter's name left Zuko's lips in a quiet moan as he released into the other boy's mouth.

The Freedom Fighter swallowed Zuko's load and pulled away, standing up and grinning.

"So, how was it?" Jet asked.

"I..." Zuko let out a long breath. "It-it was amazing."

"Yeah, I am pretty good." Jet smirked as he got to his feet. He kissed Zuko on the lips, and the other boy could taste himself. "Y'know what I need right now?"

"What?"

"Some food. I'm starving." Jet turned away and picked up Zuko's tunic. He threw it at the scarred boy, who was pulling up his underwear and trousers, trying to re-tie the drawstrings with shaking hands. "Hurry up and get dressed. Lunch is on me."

**A/N:** **I am, in fact, working on chapter 7 right now and yes, there is going to be actual smut in the next chapter. I was meant to revise heavily this weekend, but it seems my writing muse is wide awake and very demanding. **

**Any comments or feedback are appreciated.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter is now fixed! Jet no longer says "Zuko" when he is supposed to say "Li". Sorry for the mistake (and thanks for pointing it out, Anakhita and Kahuna Burger), but it seems my beta reader missed that. I think she just wanted to read some smut...**

**Summary: "It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in." Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Warning: Smut! Hooray!**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 7**

Zuko was nervous. He was nervous because everyone in the small cafe seemed to be staring at him and Jet, sitting at a table together in the corner. However, Jet seemed completely relaxed, leaning back in his chair and talking loudly.

"Li? Hey, are you okay?" Jet asked.

"What? Yeah. I'm fine."

"You just seem a little out of it." Jet shrugged. "You're not going to faint or anything are you?"

"No." Zuko scowled and folded his arms. "I still don't even know why I fainted. I've never been squeamish or anything. I can deal with the sight of blood and there wasn't even a lot of it this time." _It's this place. It's making me weak._

"Yeah... you ready to leave?"

"Sure. Are you gonna call the waitress over?"

"No. Let's just split." Jet said, standing up and stretching. "It's not like I have any money – I don't have a job, remember?"

"Fine. I'll pay." Zuko scowled and walked over to the counter, dropping a couple of coins before rejoining Jet at the door. "Everyone in this city is trying to survive on what they have. Just by giving them a couple of coins it's giving them enough money to buy the necessities they need to survive."

"Hm. I wouldn't expect you to understand that." Jet mused as they walked out of the shop.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Zuko glared at Jet.

"Hey, stop being so defensive, okay?" Jet said. "I just meant that... well... with skin like yours you must be from a noble family. Your skin is really pale and soft, except for a few calluses on your hands. Sorry, I'm just jumping to conclusions that you've never had to go to extreme lengths to survive. I just assumed that you've always had money."

"Not always."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

"I can tell it isn't. You're all tense and wound up." Jet sighed. "Li, I want you to tell me if I ever upset you, okay? I care about you and I don't want to hurt you. I hurt someone a little while ago because I manipulated her to make her think that I cared – and I did – but she just didn't understand me. It's different with you."

"I'm the one who made you promise not to go anywhere." Zuko said. "If you ever upset me, you'll be the first to know."

"Have I upset you now?"

"A bit." Zuko confessed. "I know what it's like to not be able to afford any food. Me and my uncle went through a rough patch when we had no money or anything. We just had to survive on whatever we could find."

"Sorry." Jet started laughing. "I don't think I've ever apologised to anyone as much as I apologise to you. It's because I want you to stick around too. If you ever disappeared, I don't think I could take it. Being around you makes me feel like a better person."

_I don't see how._ Zuko didn't like the way this conversation was going. As much as he liked Jet it wasn't like he wanted to tell the other boy everything about him – his private life was supposed to be private – and making up more lies and sticking to them would just get harder until the truth came out eventually. "Let's go somewhere else. My uncle said that I didn't have to be back until midnight. We have a whole day."

"Do you wanna come back to my place?" Jet asked, a suggestive smirk crossing his features as he took Zuko's hand in his. "We could spend a few hours there..."

"Yeah, sounds good to me. Are your friends going to be there?" Zuko pulled his hand away from Jet. Even though he was in a relationship with the Freedom Fighter – which he was still conflicted about – he didn't want to publicly broadcast it. He wasn't sure how the Earth Kingdom treated people in same sex relationships, but he knew that he had grown up to believe that it was sinful and punishable by death.

"Smellerbee and Longshot? No. They'll be at work." Jet grinned. "Smellerbee got a job working on a grocery stall in the market and Longshot runs errands for some of the smaller businesses. They shouldn't be back until dinner time."

"Oh."

"So we'll have plenty of time to be alone..." Jet trailed off. He nudged Zuko with his elbow and winked at him. "I'm sure we can find some ways to amuse ourselves."

The blush that rose on Zuko's cheeks was a fantastic shade of red.

* * *

Zuko felt Jet's warm lips against his neck and the Freedom Fighter's rough hands moved over his already bare chest, pushing him down against the lumpy, worn and almost flat mattress. It turned out that Zuko was right in assuming that Jet's way of amusing their selves would involve items of clothing disappearing.

Both boys were shirtless and Jet's hands were lazily running along the waistband of Zuko's trousers, debating whether to take them off now or take it slow – they did have all afternoon together, and perhaps late into the night if Zuko decided that he was going to stay out until midnight like his uncle had said.

And if Smellerbee and Longshot came home, then they could go somewhere else.

"Tell me more about yourself." Zuko said, looking up at the Freedom Fighter. "All I know about you is that you lived in a forest and you came to Ba Sing Se to make a fresh start. You know plenty about me."

"What do you want to know?" Jet asked, nipping at the scarred boy's ear. "I've got plenty of things to say."

"Tell me what your home was like. Tell me what your family was like before the Fire Nation... before they were killed." Zuko hesitated. His upbringing had been completely different to Jet's – he had been brought up as royalty for starters. He wanted to know what it was like to grow up without servants waiting on your every command. He wanted to know what it was like to grow up with a father who loved his son.

"Oh. Right." Jet sat back on his heels and thought for a moment. "Well, my parents were very poor – we had always struggled to survive. My dad was skilled in loads of trades... he was a blacksmith and a carpenter – he had built a lot of the houses in the village. My swords used to belong to him. I managed to rescue them from the house before any looters got them when the fire had died." Jet let out a deep sigh. "My mum was perfect. Everyone used to tell her that she had married beneath her – she was from a well-off family and she met my father when they were young. Her parents had been paying him to fix their roof. Her parents refused to believe that she loved him so she ran away with him. They cut off her inheritance which was why my parents were so poor."

"It must've been hard for your mother to leave everything behind."

"It wasn't that hard." Jet shrugged. "I said the same thing to her once and she told me it was easy because she loved my father."

"I don't know how my mother felt when she left us." Zuko said, looking away.

"My mum and dad used to call me their miracle baby." Jet said. "They kept trying, but my mum wouldn't ever get pregnant and when she did the pregnancy always went wrong. They had almost given up and then I was born without any complications. The doctors said that I was lucky to be born."

"My father said that I was lucky to be born." Zuko said, staring down at his lap. "And he said that my sister was born lucky."

"What a dick."

"Yeah." Zuko smiled slightly at the use of a casual insult directed towards his father. If Jet knew who his father was, Zuko was sure the Freedom Fighter would say much worse.

"At least you never have to see him again."

"Who?"

"Your dad." Jet said. "You don't ever have to go back to him. You can just stay here, with me. If the Avatar defeats the Fire Lord then maybe we'll leave – I don't really like this city. It's too constricting. We could go and build a new life somewhere else."

"Hmm." _I have to capture the Avatar so that my father will accept me back home._ It was only now that Zuko realised that keeping so many secrets from Jet – that _lying_ to the Freedom Fighter was starting to make him feel sick and it was starting to hurt. The truth would come out eventually.

It always did.

"Well, that's enough talk for one day." Jet yawned, stretching his arms. "It was a pretty heavy conversation too."

"What did you have in mind now?" Zuko asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

Jet answered with a grin and straddled the scarred teen, dragging his lips up Zuko's neck to his jaw and then his lips. Zuko relaxed into the mattress as Jet's tongue pushed at his lips and he opened his mouth, granting the other access. He had started to grow accustomed to the fact that he was in a relationship with someone of the same sex, and so far neither of them had been struck by lightning.

Maybe everything that Zuko had been taught about the spirits was wrong.

Maybe the spirits didn't care if two people of the same sex got up to... activities... with each other. Maybe the spirits recognised that they clearly felt something for each other, and that was all that mattered.

Maybe the spirits didn't exist.

Zuko couldn't believe that he was entertaining such blasphemous thoughts, but then again, he couldn't believe that he was thinking anything at that moment in time with Jet's hands running all over his body and their lips pressed firmly together.

It was obvious that Jet was experienced in this area by the way he knew that a kiss to Zuko's collarbone would make him gasp and running a hand up his inner thigh would make him squirm, pushing his hips up against the Freedom Fighter. Jet groaned as Zuko ground their hips together, grabbing a fistful of Zuko's hair.

Zuko could feel his self control slowly slipping away as the seconds passed...

He could feel his inner fire growing stronger and burning brighter than it had for a long time, which worried him because he didn't want to do anything that would hurt Jet. It was well known that firebenders were especially dangerous when experiencing strong emotions and that in some situations they lost control of their bending. He had experienced it himself when he was angry – needing an outlet for the element that burned within him and having to breathe out a steady stream of flames to try and calm himself down – but it never been as bad as this.

Jet kissed a line down Zuko's bare chest, stopping at the waistband of his trousers. He began to undo the simple drawstrings, his mouth leaving hot, wet kisses on Zuko's flat, muscled stomach. The scarred boy's skin was hot to touch, and there was something niggling at the back of Jet's mind – something that had alarm bells ringing – but Jet chose to ignore his suspicions that the other boy was a firebender.

"Jet, come on... please..." Zuko panted.

"Begging are we?" Jet raised an eyebrow, smiling lop-sidedly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make you wait. I've got other plans for you."

Jet tugged Zuko's trousers down and yanked them off, depositing them on the floor. He knelt over the other boy, starting to undo his own belt. Zuko sat up and grabbed a fistful of Jet's shaggy hair, pressing their lips together in a fierce, passionate kiss.

Jet pushed his trousers as far down as he could – the wraps on his calves prevented him from taking them off properly, but it wasn't as though he had to be completely naked to have sex.

Zuko blushed when he realised that Jet wasn't wearing any underwear, and the Freedom Fighter chuckled, pushing Zuko into the mattress and basically tearing off his underwear.

"Don't look so scared, Li. I'm not going to hurt you." Jet whispered in his ear, pushing gently at Zuko's lips with his fingers. He knelt between the scarred boys legs and lifted his hips up with his free hand and some help from Zuko, who took Jet's fingers into his mouth, sucking on them, even though he had no idea why. "It's all going to be okay."

When Jet was sure his fingers were coated enough, he withdrew them from Zuko's mouth and trailed them down his chest, examining the scarred boy's build.

He had clearly been extremely well-built before coming to Ba Sing Se, but due to the circumstances he found himself in as a refugee he was now scrawnier than he would've been before with less muscle definition.

"Ready?" Jet asked with a grin and Zuko gave him a grave nod. He had an idea know of why Jet had told him to suck on his fingers.

Jet slowly inserted a finger into Zuko's entrance, and the scarred boy arched his back, clawing at the mattress. He wasn't expecting it to hurt this much, but he supposed it made sense. After a while Jet inserted a second finger and Zuko let out a choked gasp as Jet's fingers brushed against something inside of him that made him want more.

Jet chuckled and inserted a third finger into Zuko's entrance, scissoring his fingers to make sure that the scarred boy was fully stretched for him – he wanted to make this was as painless as possible. He pulled his fingers out of Zuko, and Zuko made a small whining noise at the empty feeling.

"Jet, come on... please... come on... I want you."

"I know. I know." Jet smiled and positioned himself at Zuko's entrance, slowly pushing the head of his member into the other boy. "Just be patient, okay? I don't want to hurt you."

Zuko gripped at the tangled sheets he was laying on and groaned as Jet pushed into him.

"Fuck... Li... you're so... hngh... tight..." Jet said breathlessly as he pulled out of the other teenager and then slammed back into him, hitting that spot he had managed to find earlier. "Spirits... this... oh, you were worth the wait..."

_What?_ Zuko thought, but that thought was dismissed when Jet thrust into him again and grabbed his hips. "Jet... I... I... oh..."

"What is it, Li?" Jet asked, leaning over to Zuko to press a rough kiss to his lips. "What are you trying to say?"

"I... I... I think I love you..." Zuko panted and moaned. This was all too much for him – the sex, his bodily reactions, the strong emotions he was feeling... it was all too much. He needed to find a way to rid of the fire growing inside him, and he had to do it without hurting Jet or revealing to the Freedom Fighter that he was firebender. His hands felt as though they were _burning_ and he needed to find a way to make it stop.

Jet blinked back his surprise and relaxed into an easy smile, closing his eyes as he continued to thrust into the other teenager, quickening his pace.

_Why didn't he say anything back?_

"Come on, Li... I'm so... so close..."

_Li. If only he knew my real name._ Zuko thought, throwing his head back as Jet began to pump his arousal in time with his thrusts, bringing him closer to the edge, and potentially closer to bursting into flames. _If only he could know my real name. If only he wouldn't hate me for what I am._

Jet moaned as he climaxed, and Zuko released shortly afterwards, collapsing back onto the mattress, breathing heavily. Jet was half laying on him, already half asleep.

There was a shout from outside.

"Jet? Are you home?"

"Um... yes. Hang on... I've got company." Jet's eyes snapped open and he hauled himself up off the bed, fastening his trousers. He looked over at the other boy laying on the tangled mess of sheets and smiled before leaving the room.

Zuko waited until the door had closed and sat up, inspecting the sheets he had been laying on. He had managed to burn through the sheet and the cover on the worn mattress, leaving it charred.

_Shit. How am I going to explain this?_

He resorted to ripping the sheets off the mattress and stuffing them under the bed. If Jet asked, he would say that... what would he say? He pulled his clothes on and grabbed the sheets again – he would just tell Jet that he was taking them home to wash them, and then he would just buy some replacements.

* * *

Jet quietly closed the door behind him so that he didn't wake Li and walked into the main area of the apartment where Smellerbee and Longshot were standing. The silent archer was wearing an expression that didn't give any of his feelings away, but the female Freedom Fighter looked mad.

"What the hell are you doing, Jet?" She demanded. "You were so insistent on him being a firebender and now you're in bed with him! What the hell are you doing, trying to collect evidence on him or something?"

"That's exactly what I was trying to do." _I didn't plan any of this._ Jet scowled. "I'm close to finding out the truth about him, Smellerbee. He trusts me."

"That looks like a lot more than trust to me, Jet." Smellerbee said.

"Well maybe I... maybe... I don't know anymore, okay?" Jet sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I will admit that I found Li attractive when we met him on the ferry and I did want to get into his pants, but I didn't mean for any of it to turn into this. I... I really like him. He's suffered so much – he won't tell me everything, but I know. He mumbles in his sleep – talks about his mother a lot."

"What if he is a firebender? What are you going to do then?" Smellerbee asked, folding her arms.

"I... I don't know. I guess I'll turn him in to the authorities or something."

"Do you really think you would be able to?"

"Yes!"

"What, you could find the evidence and turn him in to the authorities?" Smellerbee asked. "Could you really watch as he was dragged away in chains, most likely for execution?"

"I – just leave me alone. I need to think." Jet stormed past Smellerbee and Longshot, out onto the balcony of their apartment. It was true – he had never meant for it to go this far. Maybe just some casual sex, a confession from Li and then he would turn him in, pocketing the coins the Earth Kingdom would give him as a reward.

Jet had always prided himself on having a heart of stone.

After the death of his parents, he had shut himself away from the world. He had stopped himself from loving people, because the ones he loved were always the ones he lost. He had experienced plenty of _lust_, but nothing had ever gone far enough to be considered love. He hadn't loved Katara – he hadn't really felt anything for the Water Tribe girl. She had just been easily manipulated, someone to help him get closer to his true goal – getting revenge on the Fire Nation.

_What if he is a firebender? What are you going to do then?_

Smellerbee's words echoed in his head like ripples in a pond.

_What would I do?_

His first thought was to kill Li himself – to put the scarred boy through all of the pain he had been through when his parents were murdered. His second thought was to turn Li in to the authorities – that way it wouldn't bother him forever what had happened to the other boy. His third thought was something entirely different.

His third thought was: _To hell with it all. It's not like Li's the Fire Lord himself._

**A/N: Chapter 8 will be up when I have made changes to it and added some extra things in. There will be fireworks in the next chapter, and not the ones that make you say "Ooh, aah... pretty." Definitely not those ones.**

**Any comments or feedback are appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews and feedback. Not sure when the update will be, but hopefully soon.**

**Summary: "It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in." Jetko fic, €€starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 8**

_Why didn't he say he loved me?_

Zuko had excused himself from Jet's apartment, saying that he was tired and that he would go and get the sheets washed – well, replaced – not that Jet knew that Zuko had almost set his whole bed on fire. That would've been a dead giveaway that he was a firebender, and it would be likely that he would end up dead.

_I need somewhere to go. I need to firebend. It always helps me alleviate my frustration._

But that would mean the potential of being caught, even if it was getting close to night time and there would be less people around.

He didn't even know if there was anywhere within the city that was private enough for him to quickly run through a couple of forms, and if he was caught no-one would take very kindly to him. Even when he had saved a whole village from a bunch of Earth Kingdom mercenaries they had basically chased him out of town and turned against him, even the boy who had looked up to him so much, the boy who had wanted him to stay. He had wanted a replacement for his brother, who was probably lost in the war.

* * *

Jet was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. Li had gone – he had left shortly after he had woken up, mumbling something about washing Jet's bedsheets for him.

And then Jet had gone back into his room, and he had seen the black marks on the mattress, that black marks that were unmistakably charcoal, as though something had been burnt. It looked as though Li had set fire to his bedsheets.

_I don't know for certain. I need more evidence._

Smellerbee was cooking dinner in the kitchen when emerged from his bedroom, fully dressed and sheathing his swords.

"Are you going out?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Is it any of your business?"

"Jet, I'm just worried about you." Smellerbee insisted, standing up. "Is this about Li?"

Jet was silent.

"Jet, you're... I don't know what's happening to you, but you need to let this go." Smellerbee sighed. "Maybe you and Li should stop seeing each other..."

"What?" Jet asked, turning around to face her. "Is that what you really think, Smellerbee? You think I should deny the once chance at happiness I've had since my parents died? I'm confused enough as it is! I still think Li is a firebender but... I don't know... I don't know what I'm supposed to do if he is. Letting him go unpunished goes against everything I believe in. I'm just going to go out... I don't know, maybe I'll try and collect some evidence... I just need some time to think."

"Jet, we're worried about you." Smellerbee gestured to Longshot. "Just don't stay out for too long, okay?"

Jet nodded and walked out of the apartment before Smellerbee could make further protests.

After he had seen Li's uncle heat his tea at the train station Jet's drive had been to get close to Li so that he could be there when they slipped up – so that he could expose them as firebenders and watch justice be carried out. What gave them the right to live in the Earth Kingdom, even if they were running from the Fire Nation? What gave them the right to call themselves refugees when they were the ones who had started the war?

He had never meant to feel anything for Li.

His only intention had been to get close to the scarred boy – okay, maybe he would've tried to get something out of it, but he had never meant for there to be any sort of emotional attachment. Now he was unsure of how he would react if he discovered the other boy was a firebender – would he accept him, or would he try to kill him?

* * *

Zuko felt used.

He was sitting alone in one of the train cars that headed towards the outer wall, out to where all of the farms and open fields were.

He just had to get away from the city.

There was no way for him to tell what time it was, but he knew his uncle was probably home by now. Hell, for all he knew it might even be near midnight. If that was the case, then his uncle was probably worrying about him, or he had assumed that he and Jet had just lost track of time.

_Jet._

The Freedom Fighter was the reason he was on the train. He had just completely given himself to Jet and he hadn't even said anything. He thought that Jet had cared for him, or at least felt something, seeing as he was always hanging around, trying to get Zuko to reciprocate his 'feelings'. He felt like a teenage girl who had just found out her boyfriend was only with her because he wanted sex. He had heard of that happening before, but he had never heard of a man using another man for sex.

Maybe he was the first.

The train slowed as it reached the station, and Zuko stepped out onto the platform. He had no idea where he was going, but that didn't really matter. He just wanted somewhere quiet to run through his firebending forms.

The platform was deserted apart from two Earth Kingdom standing not too far away, next to a mail cart. Zuko recognised one of them as a Dai Li agent – one of the cultural protectors of Ba Sing Se's heritage, and the other was just a normal Earth Kingdom peasant.

"This all has to be scanned." The Dai Li agent said. "Nothing that mentions the war goes into Ba Sing Se, you should know that by now. Are they any items that will need to be destroyed?"

"Yes." The mail man said. "There's a bunch of Fire Nation wanted posters. Two of them are for the Fire Lord's disgraced brother and son, General Iroh and Prince Zuko – well, formerly Prince Zuko. His father completely disowned him and named him a traitor after the defeat at the North Pole. People seem to think that they might be hiding in the city."

"Why would Fire Nation traitors come to Ba Sing Se?" The Dai Li agent asked.

"Maybe it was the lesser of two evils." The mail man shrugged and rummaged through one of the sacks of letters, pulling out a large pile of paper. "Here you go, this should be all of them."

"That's quite an ugly scar." The Dai Li agent said, inspecting one of the wanted posters. "I'm sure we would now if Prince Zuko was in the city. He would be pretty hard to miss."

_I have to do something._ Zuko thought, turning away so that the scarred side of his face was facing away from the two men on the platform. _If I run, it'll look suspicious. If they notice my scar, they'll know who I am and I'll be arrested._ He gripped the hilt of the swords that were sheathed at his waist and grimaced. He didn't want to kill those men, but he was running out of options if he didn't make a getaway soon.

Slowly, Zuko began to walk towards the steps that led down from the platform, and connected to a small dirt track that went far out, towards the farmland. Once he was out of sight, he started to run.

* * *

Jet didn't know how he had ended up following Li. It had just sort of... happened. He had seen the other boy heading for the train station and wanted to see what he was up to. His uncle had given him a curfew of midnight, so why was he heading out with only an hour to go?

He had got onto the train a few cars down from the scarred boy and had gotten off at the same stop, hiding in the shadows, half listening to the conversation between the Dai Li agent and the mail man until Li had left, and they had left the platform shortly afterwards, heading for a lake somewhere.

"You dropped one of your posters!" Jet called, picking up the piece of paper that was blowing across the platform. The Dai Li agent and the mail man hadn't heard them, as they continued heading in the direction they had been going in. He dropped his gaze to the front of the poster, and dropped the piece of paper as though it had burned him.

_No. No. No._ Jet felt his breaths coming harder as he picked up the poster again and studied the portrait of the disgraced Prince of the Fire Nation. "No, Li... no, you can't be..."

There was no mistaking that Li was in fact Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. The hair may have been different, but everything else was the same – the fiery gold eyes, the scar on the left side, covering his eye... it couldn't be someone else.

* * *

Zuko took a deep breath of the clean country air and took up his first stance. His tunic was folded up on the grass near him, as running through different forms was hard, physical exercise, and would be easier to complete without the clothing getting in the way and potentially catching fire. His dual Dao swords rested on top of them, just in case he faced an unexpected attack.

Running through his forms at night would mean that his firebending was weaker, so there would be less risk of anyone seeing the bursts of light.

He started by running through the simple stances he had been taught as a child, ones that were weak and not very useful in combat situations and did not create any flames unless the bender really tried – he wanted to keep the element under control for now, unsure whether the Dai Li agent and the mail man were anywhere nearby. As long as he kept practising some form of firebending, it would be easier for him to start regulating the exercise once he and his uncle left Ba Sing Se.

If they ever left Ba Sing Se.

He didn't hear the footsteps of someone moving through the grass.

"Hey, _Li_. What are you doing out here all by yourself?" A voice purred.

"What makes you think it's any of your business?" Zuko turned around, and he knew that it was over instantly. He let his arms drop to his sides in defeat. Jet was standing in front of him, holding one of those wanted posters that had been pinned up all over the Earth Kingdom. His facial expression was dangerously calm as he stared at the shirtless firebender.

"Yes, I know who you really are." Jet said in disgust, shaking his head. He rolled up the poster and tucked it into his belt. "You're Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, the disgraced son of Fire Lord Ozai."

"Did you follow me here?" Zuko asked, regaining the cold composure of the Prince of the Fire Nation – he had to find a way to talk to Jet, and taunting the Freedom Fighter wouldn't be any help in the situation.

"I intended to apologise to you." Jet explained. "You seemed upset by something, and I wondered if it was something I had done. I wanted to make it up to you if it was."

"I needed to clear my head." Zuko said. "I felt used."

"Oh, _you_ felt used?" Jet laughed – it was a harsh, brittle laugh – one that sounded as though he was trying to stop himself snapping. "Think about how I feel, Li – _Zuko _– you lied to me. You lied to me about _everything_."

"You used me for everything! You knew that I didn't want to be involved with you in a... in a sexual way, but you ignored me! I love you, Jet." Zuko protested, clenching his fists. "And you used me for sex! You took advantage of me! You charmed me and you –"

"I LOVED YOU!" Jet roared. "I DIDN'T USE YOU FOR ANYTHING! I IGNORED YOU BECAUSE I WANTED TO GET TO KNOW YOU BETTER!" He took several deep breaths to calm himself. "I should've known that you were too good to be true... you were like a fairy tale. I thought that you could rescue me."

"What do you need rescuing from?" Zuko scoffed. "I'm pretty sure you don't need me – you're skilled enough with your swords."

"I need to be rescued from myself!" Jet snarled, stepping forwards. "Do you know what it's like to have so much pent up anger? Do you know what it's like to feel so much hate? I nearly destroyed a _whole_ village full of people because I hate the Fire Nation so much! My parents were murdered by your people, and I made a promise to them that I would avenge them! I promised them that I would kill all of the Fire Nation I came across, but... but... I fucked you instead!"

"I didn't kill your parents!" Zuko protested. "And I'm pretty sure most people in the Fire Nation didn't!"

"I know who killed my parents!" Jet snarled. "I know who it was – I saw him do it!"

"Regardless of what you might say, there are good people in the Fire Nation!" Zuko insisted. "My uncle is a good man and my mother was a great woman!"

"What about your daddy?" Jet mocked. "Is he a good man? I bet you think the world of him. I bet he wasn't even the one who gave you that scar. You just made up the story to get me even more sucked into your sick little games, you son of a b –"

There was a loud crack as Zuko's fist made contact with Jet's ribs.

"DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER LIKE THAT!" Zuko yelled. "YOU CAN INSULT ME AND YOU CAN INSULT MY NATION, BUT DON'T. EVER. INSULT. HER."

"Why not?" Jet asked, clutching at his side. "What are you going to do about it, Zuko? Are you going to kill me? Are you going to be just like the rest of your people? You make me sick, Zuko. I make myself sick. How could I ever love someone like you?"

"It wasn't me that you fell in love with." Zuko whispered. "You fell in love with Li. You fell in love with the refugee who helped you steal food to feed the starving ferry passengers. You fell in love with Li, the peasant who had more honour then I could ever dream of having."

"I fell in love with a liar." Jet said in disbelief. "I'm never the one on the receiving end – I always manipulate people. How did... how did I get taken in by _you_?"

"Because I told you what you wanted to hear." Zuko said, looking away. "What are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Jet asked. "You've left me no other choice."

"You're going to turn me in, aren't you?" Zuko asked, looking up at the other boy.

Golden eyes met brown for a brief couple of seconds, and Zuko realised that Jet didn't intend to turn him in. That was as far from Jet's intention as he could get. Zuko dove to the side and picked up one of his swords, just as Jet swung both of his at the firebender. He blocked Jet's attack, only just managing to hold the Freedom Fighter at bay.

"I should've known what you were." Jet hissed. "I should've been able to tell by your eyes... they're so beautiful, Zuko. They're so _fiery_. I should've realised when I met you – no-one in the Earth Kingdom has eyes like that."

"I never asked for any of this!" Zuko protested, kicking at Jet's legs, making the Freedom Fighter take a couple of steps backwards. "Do you have any idea what you've done to me? I thought I had found myself again... I thought I had found my place as Prince of the Fire Nation again and then I met you! I don't know who I want to be anymore, Jet! I don't know if I want to be Zuko or Li!"

"Li never existed!" Jet insisted, making a swing at Zuko, which the Prince blocked easily.

"He did exist!" Zuko snarled, pointing to his chest with his free hand. "He's in here! He's a part of me, Jet! He's the part of me you fell in love with!"

"Then he's dead now." Jet said, kicking Zuko in the stomach. The other boy landed sprawled on his front, getting a mouthful of grass when he hit the ground. He felt a weight settle in the middle of his back, and he realised that it was Jet's foot. "Li is dead Zuko – like you will be!"

Zuko covered his head with his hands and closed his eyes, waiting for that fatal blow to come.

He heard something thud into the grass next to him and lifted his head, opening his eyes. The weight on his back was now gone.

One of Jet's swords was stabbed into the ground beside him. Jet was standing in the grass with his hand still on the hilt and his face was neutral, though Zuko knew it was just a mask. The other boy was torn inside – torn between his feelings and everything that had been programmed into him after his parents' deaths.

Zuko slowly knelt up in front of Jet, staring up at the Freedom Fighter.

"You look just like my mother did when they killed her." Jet murmured, his voice a soft monotone as he stared off into the distance. "They locked my father in the house and then they set fire to it. I heard him screaming as he died. My mother tried to get to him – she tried to rescue him. They dragged her away from the house and they beat her while I watched. They threw her on the floor and called her a bitch and then they killed her – they _mutilated_ her and then they threw her back into the burning building with my father." Jet looked down at Zuko. "I was always afraid of this... I was afraid that when I actually found a firebender I wouldn't be able to kill them... but I always thought it would be because they would be screaming and begging me not to, just like everyone I've seen... but you... you're not doing anything. You're just sitting there... and you're just... beg for your life damn it!"

"I'm not going to beg." Zuko said quietly and he took Jet's hand off the sword hilt and held it in both of his. "I'm not going to scream and cry because I know you're not going to kill me." He pressed a soft kiss to Jet's palm. "I know that you're not that strong, or maybe you're too strong to end my life – I don't know, you could even be both."

"You've just contradicted yourself."

"No, it makes perfect sense." Zuko continued holding Jet's hand. "You're either not strong enough because you won't be able to live with killing me for the rest of your life."

"And how am I too strong?"

"You won't stoop to the same level as the men who murdered your family." Zuko said, and then he hesitated. "Look at me, Jet – I am not one of the men who murdered your family. I can't have been – I'm the same age as you. I would never do anything to hurt you..."

"How do I know that?" Jet asked. "You've lied about everything else."

"I was serious when I said that I loved you." Zuko answered fiercely. "I've never felt anything like this for anyone before, Jet. You changed who I am completely – you changed my beliefs completely and I can't ever get you out of my head. You made me into Li."

"I..."

And for what felt like the first time in his life, Jet was lost for words.

"Jet?" Zuko slowly get to his feet in front of the other boy, shivering because of the cold wind that had picked up. He picked up his tunic and pulled it on, watching the other boy closely. "Do you have anything to say to me?"

"I... I need to think about this." Jet shook his head and pushed past the other boy, heading deeper into the endless fields.

**A/N: In all honesty, I wasn't too happy with this chapter but it doesn't seem to be for any reason, so I decided to leave it how it was. Hopefully my beta found all of the mistakes in this one.**

**Not long left!**

**Any comments or feedback are appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you for all of the kind reviews and favourites! This chapter actually broke my heart and I'm the one who know what's going on – it is very much about Jet and Zuko's feelings. Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Sorry about the fact that EVERYTHING is aligned left, but the editing made it that way and is refusing to change.**

**Summary: "It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in." Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 9**

Jet kept running.

* * *

"Uncle? Uncle, I'm back!" Zuko called frantically, closing the door to their apartment behind him. If he ever missed a curfew when he was living in the palace with his father, he was always punished severely for it. "I'm sorry that I stayed out past curfew, but I –"

"Zuko!" Iroh ran over to his nephew and hugged him. "I thought something bad had happened to you because you hadn't returned."

"You're not mad?" Zuko blinked, struggling out of his uncle's grip.

"I'm not my brother." Iroh smiled, holding Zuko at arms' length so that he could study his nephew's puzzled facial expression. He knew that his brother had not been understanding whenever Zuko had broken a rule, so he felt that it was up to him to go easy on the former Prince. "I understand that teenagers may get carried away and stay out later than they are supposed to. Were you with Jet?"

* * *

When he was out of breath, he stopped and hunched over with his hands on his knees. He didn't know where he was going, but all he wanted to do was keep running.

* * *

"I'm not sure if Jet and I can be friends anymore." Zuko said, looking away.

"Why?" Iroh asked, concerned about his nephew. The banished Prince usually was in a sulk, but this time he looked as though a part of his soul had been taken away. "Zuko, what's happened?"

"He knows who I am."

"What? How?"

* * *

Jet sat down on the ground, clutching the stitch in his side. He leant back against the small, stone wall of the farmhouse and closed his eyes. Part of him was wishing that he hadn't followed Li – no, he wasn't Li. He was Zuko, the Prince of the Fire Nation. He was an evil person. He was Fire Nation, he must've done terrible things.

Jet pulled the wanted poster out of his tunic where he had tucked it away. The scar, the gold eyes... he wished that he could just wake up and that all of this would just be a horrible nightmare.

In a perfect world he would wake up entangled in the sheets with Zuko – Li – tucked up with him after a night of passionate sex where everything had gone to plan – he would've told him that he loved him and they would be planning how they were going to spend the rest of their life.

In a perfect world the war would end and they would leave Ba Sing Se together. They would go back to the forest and they would live in a small house together. They would get proper jobs – Jet would be a handyman like his father and Li could... for all Jet cared Li could just spend all day in the house as long as they could have the nights together.

* * *

"Does this mean we have to leave Ba Sing Se?" Iroh asked in alarm, wondering if they would be able to pack all of their belongings in such a short space of time – Jet could arrive with the authorities at any minute.

"No." Zuko answered, throwing himself down into the small chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The Dai Li guy said that the war isn't mentioned in Ba Sing Se... he said something about how the posters had to go somewhere for mail scanning."

"So if the war isn't mentioned no-one needs to know that we are Fire Nation refugees?"

"Exactly." Zuko said and he bit his lip. "The only problem is that Jet has one of the wanted posters. He has proof that we're firebenders – well, he has proof that I'm a firebender. He only suspects you."

* * *

Jet tore up the wanted poster and watched the pieces as they were blown away by the wind and scattered across the fields.

* * *

Going to bed seemed as though it would be a good idea – hopefully a good night's sleep would help him figure out what he was going to in the morning – what he was going to do about Jet.

"You may have to confront him." Iroh said as though he was reading his nephew's thoughts.

"I already did!" Zuko snapped, turning to face his uncle. "I had a fight with him in the fields and I tried to convince him that I'm not a bad person. He said that he needed time to think and he ran away – I don't know what he's going to do, uncle. I'm scared that he's going to leave me, even after he promised me that he wouldn't."

Zuko turned away to walk into his bedroom when Iroh walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Love is hard when you're young, Zuko."

"What?" Zuko spluttered, spinning on his heel to face his uncle. "How can you tell?"

"I can't, but you just confirmed it." Iroh smiled. "I noticed the way that you two look at each other and I thought something might be going on. I didn't say anything because I want you to be happy, Zuko. I wanted you to feel comfortable enough with the man you are becoming to tell me what was going on between you and Jet."

"You mean... you mean you're not mad at me?" Zuko asked, and Iroh shook his head. "But – but it's wrong! I was told when I was a child that the spirits were against same sex relationships and would smite me if I ever had one! I'm so confused, uncle. I don't know what – do the spirits even exist? Do they even care that I'm in love with another man? Don't they want to shoot me with lightning or something?"

"The spirits are many things, Zuko." Iroh said. "But they are not cruel."

"I still don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Do nothing. Go to bed and get some rest." Iroh advised. "If Jet arrives tomorrow morning, it is likely that we will be able to figure something out then. Sleep well, nephew."

"You too, uncle."

* * *

_He's eight years old again, watching his parents murdered at the hands of Fire Nation soldiers._

_The leader of the Fire Nation soldiers turns his head to smile at Jet, but it isn't a comforting smile – it's an evil smile, a sadistic smile that the boy standing near him has just lost everything._

_This time it isn't the same man._

_This time it's Zuko._

_

* * *

_

Zuko couldn't sleep – it seemed impossible that night.

There were too many thoughts going around his head. Thoughts about his own upbringing and how it had been drilled into him that being with another man was wrong – everything he had known had just come crashing down around him.

He couldn't stop thinking about Jet.

_What if he wants to kill me_? Zuko thought, staring up at the ceiling. "Surely he still wants to be with me – he didn't kill me on the spot, so that's a good sign, right?"

He didn't know who he was asking and he didn't care that no-one would answer – it was just comforting for Zuko to be able to voice his thoughts aloud. It was times like this he wished that he wasn't so closed off to people – he wished that he was able to talk about it more with his uncle, but he was just too much of a closed off person.

Maybe if his mother had still been around he would've been able to talk to her about it.

If his mother was still around he probably would be in the Fire Nation. She never would've allowed his father to burn and banish him – she would've protected him.

Zuko could feel the empty ache in his chest he got whenever he thought about his mother – he had no idea why she had left. Azula had always hinted that their mother had something to do with the death of the grandfather, Azulon, and their father's succession of the throne but Zuko had always reminded himself that Azula always lied. Their mother never would've done anything like that.

He had asked Iroh about his mother's disappearance just after he had been banished, and his uncle had replied with: 'I cannot tell you, Zuko. You will understand it when you're older.' And then Iroh had mentioned something about his mother protecting him and had hurried away to give the crew new orders to head for the Western Air Temple.

If his mother was still around he never would've met Jet, unless the Freedom Fighter was brought to the Fire Nation capital for a war trial – and execution – or if Zuko had joined the army and headed off to Ba Sing Se, following in the footsteps of his uncle and fallen cousin. If that was the case, he and Jet would've met on the battlefield where a friendship or anything more would never have been formed – they would've killed each other due to the prejudice about the other nation which had been drilled into them since they were born.

_It's strange how one aspect of the past could've changed everything._

Zuko rolled over and closed his eyes, trying to get to sleep as the first few rays of light began to seep through the curtains – he sat up and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Now that the sun was up there was no chance of him getting any sleep.

_Fuck being a firebender._

_

* * *

_

Evidence.

He needed evidence.

Jet was kicking himself for tearing up the wanted poster –at first it had seemed like a good idea. He didn't want anyone else to find it and he had just been so _angry_. He hadn't thought that he might need it to turn Zuko into the authorities like he was planning on doing now. He had thought that he would just think about everything Zuko had said to him and they could go back to how things had been, back when Zuko was Li.

Things couldn't go back to how they were, especially not after the nightmare that had left Jet waking in a cold sweat. Zuko had told him that he had nothing to do with the death of his parents, but he did – he was the son of the Fire Lord. Surely he could've stopped his father if he wanted to? Couldn't he have stopped his father from killing innocent people?

* * *

"What time does Pao want us to start work today?" Zuko asked, staring in the mirror in the washroom. He hated looking at his reflection, seeing that his face was dominated by the large scar over his left eye – the scar his own father had given him for trying to save the lives of Fire Nation soldiers, or 'fresh meat' as they had been called.

"Pao wants us there around lunchtime. The tea shop has been getting busy – praise for my tea has spread through the city." Iroh answered, walking into the washroom, carrying some clean towels in his arms – well, the towels were as clean as the old man could get them. "You look... tired."

"I am." Zuko sighed. A better way of phrasing it would've been _"You look like shit."_ But his uncle would never use that kind of language – not in front of people anyway.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"I didn't sleep."

"I could tell Pao you're sick if you wanted to take the day off."

"No, it's fine. I want to work." Zuko splashed some water on his face and turned to face his uncle, accepting the towel that he was handed. "I want to do something to keep me busy... I have to stop thinking about... him."

"If you're sure..."

"Uncle. I'm sure." Zuko said. "You don't have to keep worrying about me. I'll be fine."_ I feel so empty inside._

_

* * *

_

"Longshot, could you and wake Jet up?" Smellerbee asked. "Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes and you know how cranky he gets if he's not fed in the mornings."

Longshot nodded and walked over to Jet's room. He knocked on the door and got no response – usually there would be some sort of muffled groan followed by lots of cursing and Jet eventually opening the door looking as though he had been dragged through a hedge backwards, but that morning there was nothing.

The silent archer opened the door to Jet's room.

The lead Freedom Fighter was nowhere to be seen.

The only sign that Jet had even been in the room was the note laying on top of the bedcovers.

Longshot picked up the note and left the room, walking over to where Smellerbee was dishing up breakfast. He held the note out to her, and she took it from him, frowning.

_Gone out.  
Probably won't be back until later – a lot later. Sometime in the morning, maybe even the afternoon. Depends if I'm spending the day with Li.  
Going to follow him and try to talk to him. He seemed pretty upset earlier.  
Maybe find some evidence that he's a firebender.  
Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.  
Come and give me a hand if you want to._

_Jet._

"Idiot." Smellerbee muttered. "He's obsessed with this – I mean, it's not like I have anything against Li, even if he is a firebender, but... I've never seen Jet this taken in by somebody. Usually Jet's the one stringing everyone along, but they seem pretty serious. They've only known each other a few days."

Longshot looked at her.

"You're right, it isn't healthy." Smellerbee sighed. "I think we need to talk to him about it. If he's spending the day with Li or trying to collect evidence it's likely he'll be at the tea shop at some point. We'll head down there after work to see if we can talk to him."

**A/N: So, what did you all think? Chapter 10 = tea shop fight. That isn't going to go down well at all. I will try to have it up as soon as I can. I'm working on it right now.**

**Any comments or feedback are appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you so much for all of the reviews and favourites! You guys are awesome :D This is, in fact, the last chapter of "A Beautiful Lie".**

**Summary: "It's a beautiful lie, It's a perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in." Jetko fic, starting with the meeting on the ferry and most likely up until... well, isn't it obvious? Rated M for swearing, slash and smut.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**A Beautiful Lie**

**Chapter 10**

Zuko felt... he didn't know how he felt. He hadn't seen Jet since the confrontation during the night and he was starting to worry – he knew that the Freedom Fighter needed time to think, but just how much time did he need? Was this normal for someone in a relationship?

"Li! Get your head out of the clouds!" Pao snapped. "There are customers waiting to be served and there is someone requesting to see you!"

"Really?" Zuko asked, snapping out of his trance. He looked to where Pao was pointing, and his heart sank when he saw that it wasn't Jet – it was his friends, the other Freedom Fighters. As always, the archer was wearing an unreadable expression, whereas the girl looked worried.

"Li, have you seen Jet?" She asked as Zuko approached them.

"Not since yesterday." Zuko replied.

"When yesterday?" Smellerbee demanded.

"Erm... last night." Zuko said. There was no point in lying to Jet's friends – they seemed genuinely worried about their leader, just like he was. "I went for a walk and he followed me... when did you last see him?"

"Yesterday." Smellerbee said, biting her bottom lip. "He left a note saying that he was going looking for you. He said that you seemed pretty upset about something."

"Yes, I was upset. He came to see me – he wanted to make it up to me." Zuko remembered the day before, when he had been upset because he thought that Jet had used him. "We... we had a bit of an argument." _They don't need to know all of the details. They don't need to know that I'm a firebender._ "It was about our relationship... we didn't exactly see eye-to-eye on something."

"Do you know where he is now?"

"No." Zuko frowned. "He said that he needed some time to think and ran off. I haven't seen him at all since. Do you think... do you think something bad has happened to him?"

"I don't know... he's just so... so impulsive and irrational sometimes." Smellerbee said. "He might've gotten himself into trouble with the authorities or he could even be..." Smellerbee's eyes widened. "Oh spirits, no. He can't be that stupid!"

"What?"

"Never mind, Li." Smellerbee said. "It... it doesn't matter. We have to go and look for him... Longshot, come on. I think I have an idea of where he might be."

"Smellerbee?" Zuko called after the girl. She stopped and turned to face him. "When you find him can you tell him that I'm sorry and I really want to see him? I want to try and work things out between us."

Smellerbee nodded and left the tea shop with Longshot.

Zuko turned around to find Iroh standing beside him.

"Was that about Jet?" The old man asked him.

"Yes, it was." Zuko replied. "He's gone missing – no-one can find him anywhere. Smellerbee was saying something and then she... she just kinda realised something. I think she has an idea of where Jet is, and I think she thinks he's going to do something stupid."

"Do you want to take a break?" Iroh asked.

"No, I don't even know where to start looking for him." Zuko answered with a sigh. "I don't think he would want to see me anyway."

* * *

Jet was pacing up and down in the alleyway across from the tea shop wondering if he should wait for some proper evidence and get the firebender arrested, or whether he should burst into the tea shop and confront Zuko himself – the latter sounded a lot more satisfying, as it meant that he would be able to directly alleviate all of his pent up anger. He stopped and watched as one of city guards walked into the tea shop – there must've been at least two of them in there now.

It would be impossible to confront Zuko quietly – he would have to create a scene and get him to firebend. If he made him mad, it would probably happen. It was common knowledge that firebenders had less control of their bending when feeling strong emotions such as anger.

_It was never meant to go this far._ Jet thought to himself.

"Jet."

A voice startled him, and he turned around.

"We need to talk."

"What?" He asked, realising that it was Smellerbee and Longshot. Whenever Smellerbee said 'we need to talk', it usually meant that he was going to get a lecture. It was probably best to change the subject early – he didn't need to be told off for leaving everything lying around on the floor again. "Oh great, it's you guys. Where have you been? I could use some help with surveillance here."

"We've been talking." Smellerbee said, obviously ignoring Jet's attempt to change the subject. "And we think you're becoming obsessed with this." She gestured to the tea shop and then shrugged, her palms facing upwards. "It's not healthy."

"Oh really." Jet said – it seemed as though he had managed to divert the conversation onto the wrong subject. He glanced at Longshot. "You both think this?" It was more of a statement than a question, and Longshot put a protective arm around Smellerbee's shoulders.

"We came here to make a fresh start." Smellerbee reminded him, and she gestured to the tea shop again. "But you won't let this go, even though there's no real proof."

"Well, maybe if you'd help me..." Jet started to protest.

"Jet, you've gotta stop this."

"Maybe you've forgotten why we need to start over." Jet scowled. "Maybe you've forgotten about how the Fire Nation left us all homeless," Smellerbee and Longshot both looked away, and he knew that he had hit a nerve. "How they wiped out all of the people we loved." He studied their faces for a moment, and he realised that they were looking away because they _disagreed with him_. It made him angry – Smellerbee and Longshot had never disagreed with him before, not even when he had blown up the dam. They had always been by his side.

But now they weren't.

Somehow, all of it was Zuko's fault.

It was his fault that they had all fallen apart – he was a firebender. He was from the Fire Nation, the place that had destroyed their home.

Zuko was the one to blame for Smellerbee and Longshot's uncertainty. He was the one to blame for their betrayal.

"If you don't want to help me, I'll get the evidence on my own." Jet said, pushing past his once long-time friends and heading for the tea shop. _I'm going to make you pay, Zuko. I'm going to make you pay for ruining my life._

_

* * *

_

Zuko wished that the day would just end. He didn't want to be at work anymore. He wanted to be at the apartment – he wouldn't call it home. It wasn't home, especially not now. Not now that he had screwed things up with Jet. He would be curled up in his bed, trying to get to sleep. He would be trying to comfort himself and fix his broken heart.

_How did we get here?_ Zuko thought, carrying a tray of empty tea cups back towards the kitchen. He stopped at another table and began to take the cups up, unable to remember whether the previous customers had paid for their drinks or not. In all honesty, he didn't care. _How did I get stuck in this mess? How did I let myself fall in love with him?_

"This is the best tea in the city!" One of the guards in the tea shop said as Iroh poured him and his companions another cup of tea.

"The secret ingredient is _love_." Iroh said with a flourish, and he walked off towards the back of the shop towards where Pao was standing, ignoring the partly horrified, partly disgusted expression on his nephew's face as he went back to clearing up the mess on a nearby table

"I think you're due for a raise." Pao said to Iroh, and the old man smiled.

Zuko scoffed.

_A raise._ He thought to himself. _By a raise he probably means one or two more coins for my uncle and more hours for me. It won't be anything worthwhile._

He was oblivious to the tea shop door being slammed open, until he realised who had just stepped inside the room.

Jet.

Zuko wanted to run over to the Freedom Fighter and throw his arms around him, even kiss him in front of everyone. He wanted to tell Jet how sorry he was, and he wanted to tell him that he loved him. He wanted to tell him that he was going to give up firebending – he would give up everything if it meant that they could stay together. Zuko was even willing to give up his throne – he would give up his quest for the Avatar if it meant that he could stay with Jet and wait for the war to pass them by.

But the look on Jet's face stopped him.

Jet's face was... it was somewhere between blank and pain.

He looked terrible – he looked as though he hadn't had a good night's sleep in days and there was a savage look in his eye. He looked as though something had broken him.

"I'm tired of waiting." The Freedom Fighter said in a voice that wasn't his own. He pointed in the direction of Zuko and Iroh, and Zuko instantly knew what Jet was going to say. He felt the bile rise in his throat and his head began to spin. "These two men are firebenders!" He drew his hook swords and instantly took up a stance.

Zuko and Iroh glanced at each other, unsure of what to do.

Everyone's attention was fixed on Jet, wondering what had prompted the sudden accusation directed at the two refugees working in the tea shop.

"I know they're firebenders!" Jet protested, feeling everyone's gazes judging him. They were all looking at him as though he was insane. "I saw the old man heating his tea!"

Two of the city guards looked at each other, and then back at Jet.

"He works in a tea shop." One of them said.

"He's a firebender, I'm telling you!" Jet insisted, tightening his grip on his swords. He wasn't expecting this to happen. He was expecting everyone to rally with him. Wasn't it obvious? The way Zuko carried himself, the scar, the eyes... no-one outside of the Fire Nation had gold eyes. Surely some of them had seen the wanted posters on their way to Ba Sing Se...

"Drop your swords, boy." The guard said, getting to his feet along with his partner. "Nice and easy."

"You'll have to defend yourself. Then everyone will know." Jet ignored the obvious threat display and started towards Iroh. "Go ahead, show them what you can do."

One of the guards was about to draw his swords when Zuko stepped in front of him and pulled the dual weapons out of the scabbard, taking up his own stance opposite Jet.

"If you want a show, I'll give you a show." Zuko said grimly, and gold eyes met brown. He had realised that Jet intended to hurt his uncle and himself – potentially kill them – and he couldn't let the Freedom Fighter reveal that they were firebenders.

He was going to have to fight Jet, and it was going to hurt.

And it wouldn't just be physical pain.

Zuko hooked his leg around one of the tables and pulled it forwards in front of him. Jet smashed his hook swords through the table, and jumped over it, intent on reaching the scarred boy.

Jet swung both of his hook swords down at Zuko, who deflected the attack and jumped backwards on to another table, trying to get his bearings. He had seen Jet use his hook swords before, but having firsthand experience was completely different – he had never met anyone who could match him with a blade. Jet sliced one of his swords through the middle of the table. Zuko jumped onto one half of the table, managing to keep his balance. Jet cut the legs of the half of the table Zuko was standing on out from underneath him, and Zuko jumped on to the other, landing in a crane stance.

Frustrated, Jet attacked the other half of the table. Zuko jumped off, into the air, and swung his swords at Jet's feet. Jet dodged the attack and back-flipped away, landing steadily in a crouch. He stood up and charged Zuko again, determined to maim the other boy – he wanted to make him pay for everything he had done.

Zuko brought both of his swords forwards, blocking Jet's attack.

The Freedom Fighter kicked at his legs, forcing Zuko to dance around him. Jet took another swing at Zuko, distracting the firebender long enough for him to bring his leg up and kicked Zuko in the stomach, sending the scarred boy crashing through the tea shop door.

Zuko recovered quickly, rolling into a standing position. He was already waiting when Jet leapt after him, performing a few spins in the air. He blocked Jet's downward strike, struggling to hold the Freedom Fighter at bay .

"You must be getting tired of using those swords." Jet sneered, and it was that moment Zuko realised that nothing he could do what change Jet's mind. The Freedom Fighter was out for blood – _his_ blood. The smile was reminiscent of one that Azula had worn before, similar to the expression on her face just before she had fired lightning at Iroh. "Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me?"

_I can't let myself be goaded._ Zuko thought, struggling to gain control of the fight – he had to gain the upper hand quickly, or Jet could easy eliminate him. _I won't give him the satisfaction of firebending._

"Please son, you're confused!" Iroh's voice came from nearby – the tea shop doorway. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Once they were away from the tea shop, they broke away, each trying to regain control of the situation. Jet deflected an attack from Zuko, and both of them spun in circles, determined not to lose either of their weapons to the other.

"Bet you wish he'd help you out with a little fire blast right now!" Jet hooked both of his swords together, swinging them in a wide arc, trying to prompt Zuko to firebend due to the distance between them. He glowered as Zuko stabbed down into the hilt of his sword, pinning it to the ground. He looked up at Zuko, fuming.

"You're the one who needs help." Zuko growled.

Jet surrendered his other sword, resorting to the use of one, as did Zuko. He was about to take a strike at Zuko, but the scarred boy was too quick, stepping in to attack first. He swung his sword at the Freedom Fighter, and Jet bent over backwards to avoid the blade, demonstrating the extent of his flexibility. His eyes widened as Zuko's blade cut through the stalk of grass in his mouth, missing his nose by centimetres.

Jet leant forwards, gathering enough momentum to propel himself away in a back-flip. He had to put some distance between him and Zuko – this fight was turning out a lot more difficult than he had first thought. He landed on top of a well, glaring down at Zuko with fire in his eyes.

A crowd had gathered to watch the fight – it wasn't often you saw conflict in the streets in a place like Ba Sing Se, the most peaceful place left in the world.

"You see that?" Jet demanded of the spectators. "The Fire Nation is trying to silence me!" He glared at Zuko, clutching his remaining sword. "It'll never happen." He hooked his blade around the beam above the well and launched himself at Zuko.

Somehow, they ended up back-to-back, so in-tune with each other's movements that they could block any attack the other tried. It was impossible for them to break through each other's defence.

Two Dai Li soldiers appeared and the crowd parted to let them through.

"Drop your weapons!" One of the Dai Li agents ordered.

Jet and Zuko stepped away from each other. Zuko lowered, but Jet stayed in an aggressive stance, ready to attack if Zuko tried anything.

"Arrest them, they're firebenders!" Jet ordered.

"This poor boy is confused." Iroh said. Hopefully, they would let Jet off and he and Zuko could try to talk to the Freedom Fighter – they could try to make him understand. "We're just simple refugees."

"This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!" Pao fumed, obviously wanting to see Jet punished for destroyed his property.

"It's true, sir. We saw the whole thing." One of the city guards who had been in the tea shop stepped forwards. "This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city."

"Oh, that's very sweet." Iroh blushed.

The two Dai Li agents walked up behind Jet, who regarded them nervously.

"Come with us, son." The second Dai Li said.

Jet swung his sword at the Dai Li agent, who caught it in one of his stone-covered hands. Both of the Dai Li grabbed one of Jet's arms each and twisted them behind his back, making him drop his remaining sword. They bound his wrists together by earthbending the stone on their cuffs, and they began to drag him away.

Zuko could feel his stomach churning as he watched Jet being dragged towards a cart with a cage mounted on the back. He was surprised that Jet put up little resistance, probably tired from their fight.

"You don't understand!" Jet protested, desperation evident in his voice as he was dragged towards the cage. "They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!"

Zuko was only slightly aware of the crowd starting to disperse – there was no point in sticking around now that the excitement had died down. His eyes met Jet's just before the cage doors were slammed.

There was a promise in those eyes, one that would haunt Zuko's life.

_I will get my revenge._

As the cart disappeared down the street, Zuko feel a chill settle in his chest, replacing the strong emotions he had felt for the Freedom Fighter. Meeting Jet on the ferry felt like years ago... everything else just felt like a dream.

_**The love we had, the love we had, we had to let it go.**_

_**

* * *

**_

**A/N: Thank you for sticking by me and my story! Any comments or feedback are appreciated.**

**The above lyric is from the song "Hurricane" by 30 Seconds To Mars. This is appropriate, as I will be writing a sequel to this entitled "Hurricane", where Jet did not die under Lake Laogai (and it will be multi-chapter!).**

**Thank for all of those who voted in the poll. I have already started work on a prologue, which should be up in a couple of days. Now that January exams are finished, I should be able to devote EVEN MORE time to my writing.**


End file.
